The Millionaire with the Crimson Eyes
by 2468gaby
Summary: Maka Alburn was just living out her normal day as a maid at the Crimson Cosmo's hotel, so how was it that she ended up being put up for auction? Based on the app Kissed by the Baddest Bidder by Voltage. Rated T for language and mature themes (subject to change)
1. The Auction

**_Hey guys! This is 2468gaby._**

 ** _So a couple of months ago, I was playing this app called Kissed by the Baddest Bidder by Voltage, which I thought was really fun_** ** _, that consisted of a story where you would play the main character. By the time I finished it, I was thinking how cool it would be if it were done in a Soul Eater perspective (with a few tweaks here and there)…._**

 ** _Which is exactly why this story exists._**

 ** _And BTW;_**

 ** _Spirit is not related to Maka in any way in this story, so don't be weirded out by anything he may do…._**

 ** _I don't own any of the characters in this story, or else there would be more Soul Eater_**

I open my eyes to a place I have never seen before. I was in a extravagant theater that was dimly lit, huge in size, and packed with what seemed like hundreds of people. All were dressed very exquisitely either with a sharp tuxedo or long, expensive looking dress. The guests were all seated, chatting enthusiastically to each other. It seemed to have been a regular theater at first glance, except for the fact that all guests were wearing masks and holding number cards.

Among all the chatter, a bright spotlight appeared out of nowhere and shined down on me. I had to squint my eyes in order to see. I look down and see I'm dressed in a simple white cocktail dress. I try to get up, but see that my wrists and ankles are chained to the ground. I see all eyes all eyes to me. Then I realize I was set in the center of the stage.

 _I don't remember ever putting this dress. I don't remember how I got here. Hell, I don't even know where I am,_ I think to myself, _What is going on?_

A man emerges from backstage, his identity was concealed behind an elaborate mask. A huge smile was beaming from his face.

He rose his arms up in the air, "everyone having a good time?!" The members of the audience go crazy. There were hoots and hollers coming from every side of the auditorium, but after the man lowered his arms, the room goes to a deadly silence.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for us to put up our next item up for auction!" The audience one again cheered.

"This item is definitely unique; something new to our fine auction. Here, we have a young, healthy woman! Keep her as your slave, keep her as your toy…. Do whatever you please with her! It is completely up to you!" The audience cheers madly. "And now, we start the bidding!"

I was overwhelmed with the chaos that occurred next. Number cards were being raised up from everywhere, along with different amounts being shouted out from all over the place.

"I got $500,000 from number 13, $1 million from number 7, $1.2 million from number 27….."

The numbers wouldn't stop coming, each time a new bid was put up, it felt as if a heavier weight was being placed on my chest, dragging me down into the stage. The restraints on my wrists and ankles felt as if they were getting tighter and tighter… It seemed as if only a few moments ago, I was living out my normal day.

How in the world did I get here?

I swing open my locker in the maid's locker room to retrieve my uniform, just as I do every morning.

I work as a maid at the famous Crimson Cosmo hotel, located in Death City, Nevada. Death City was one of the most prestigious cities in the country, where people with lots of money come to gamble, look for opportunities, and make deals. The Crimson Cosmo hotel acted as a landmark in the notorious city. It was a place that only the finest people would stay at, expecting to receive top of the line care from staff members and anyone else associated with the hotel.

For me, being a maid wasn't a permanent career, but rather a temporary until I have enough money saved to afford college tuition. I never really wanted to have student loans, so working at this hotel seemed like the best option for me.

"Morning Maka!" said my friend from across the room. I turn my head and see Tsubaki, a sweet, shy girl that I've known all my life. She was in the same situation that I was in, both having always dreamed about going to the same college together. I could always trust her with anything, we were both twenty-three years old and she has been my best friend for as long as I could remember.

"Hey Tsubaki!" I reply, "What's up?"

She smiles, "Just at bit psyched that the V.I.P Convention is starting today! I'm so excited!"

I chuckle at her enthusiasm, "I'm surprised you're so excited, you're going to be way more busy than usual since you work at the casino. _I_ should be the one excited since all I do is clean the regular guest rooms."

She laughs, "I guess… but I've always loved seeing so many celebrities in one place!"

"That's true," I sigh, "I wish I could work at the I.V.C like you, Tsubaki."

"You'll get there someday. After all, everyone's goal who works here is to eventually work at the casino."

I smile brightly for her, "you're going to have so much fun at the I.V.C.!" I say enthusiastically, "I've been dreaming about it ever since I saw the party on the television." I did want to attend the party, but I was so happy that my best friend had the opportunity to work there. I didn't even feel envious of her, I was so happy that she got such a wonderful opportunity.

Tsubaki started to fiddle with the lock on her locker, "models, movie stars, millionaires, top athletes…. I remember us applying here not thinking we'd get hired," she clicked open the lock and opened it.

I snicker slightly, "what if some super rich, famous hot guy falls in love with you?"

Tsubaki rolls her eyes, "I'll keep dreaming Maka."

One of the Crimson Cosmo's biggest events was being held for the next couple of days, the International V.I.P Convention. It occurred once a year and was held at the Crimson Cosmo hotel. The event attracted a lot of international publicity, causing more tension and stress between the employees than usual.

I close my locker and turn to Tsubaki, "we should probably head up to the lobby and start our shift, we don't want to be late."

Tsubaki smiled, "you practically read my mind."

We left the locker room and headed towards the hotel lobby. Our route there was much more crowded than usual. There were many reporters crowded around the lobby entrance. Onlookers have gathered to see what all the commotion was about. Celebrities start appearing from their cars one after another in front of the lobby entrance.

All of the sudden, a long, black limo pulls up to the entrance. Once it stops, the Chauffeur gets out of the limo and opens up the door for the passenger.

Tsubaki gasps, "oh my god Maka…. Look who just got out of that limo! That guy is always on our VIP list!"

I was too short to see with all the people in our wau, so I started jumping up and down to catch of glance of the mysterious man, "Who is he? _Where_ is he?" I ask.

I have never been very interested in celebrity gossip, but I couldn't help but join Tsubaki in trying to get a quick glimpse of the guy. She was so enthusiastic about meeting this guy.

Past the shoulder of a news reporter, I see a tall man with snowy white hair surrounded by women on both sides. He looked as if he were in his early twenties.

"Maka, those women… that's the world-famous model Yuki Kioko, and the actress Shizuka Kuran!" Tsubaki whispered harshly in my ear. I never liked the idea of men taking advantage over women, which was quite evident in the way the man presented himself. However, I felt partially intimidated by this guy.

"I recognize him now! He's been living in the penthouse suite here for a while," Tsubaki said, "I've seen him around the hotel before. But his name is escaping my memory-"

"The penthouse?!" I interrupt, "but it costs thousands of dollars just to stay for one night in that room!" _He must have a really high paying job,_ I think to myself.

After pushing through the reporters, Tsubaki and I finally get a good view of the guy. I was definitely right about the hair, it was whiter than freshly fallen snow. He wore a black-and-red pinstriped suit and striking black dress shoes. Probably the most intriguing part about him was his glowing, red eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that a big reason why he was so famous was for his dashingly good look.

He payed no attention to the huge crowd or the reporters asking him questions left and right. The man just walked straight ahead, ignoring his surroundings.

The girls in the crowd started to squeal at the sight of him. They shouted things like "ahhhhh! He's here!" or "I can't believe it's _him_ , it's him in the flesh!"

Out of nowhere, a group of women start running to get closer to the man and crashed straight into me. "Maka!" Tsubaki calls out. I was pushed right out of the crowd of people and….

BAM!

I look up to see who I crashed into, and I could've swore my heart stopped for at least five seconds. I had plummeted on top of the charming guest that everyone was fawning over. I had smashed so hard into him that we were both on the ground, me on top of him.

Words wouldn't come out of my mouth, I had no idea what to say. After a few seconds, he gives me a confused look. I push myself off him, "I-I…I'm so sorry!" I was extremely embarrassed of myself, evident since my face flushed to a bright red.

"What do you think you're doing?" Called the actress Shizuka Kuran.

"How dare you touch him!" Shouted the other, Yuki Kioko.

I was so embarrassed. I hadn't meant to cause any trouble. "I-I'm really sorry, I was pushed out of the crowd, and then-"

"I don't need excuses, it's cool." His tone changes and he gives me a stern look, "get out of the way."

It was the first time I had ever heard him speak. His voice was so cold, so stern, and so serious. Yet, he sounded so relaxed and cool. He brushed off his suit, and then walked away, disappearing into the hotel with the two women at his sides and forgetting the incident had occurred.

The crowd began to disappear, following suite with the white-haired man. Rubbing my back, I rise slowly from the ground and see Tsubaki running up to me.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?"

I rub the back of my head, "Yeah, I'm fine…"

Tsubaki looks over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, "Maka, that man just caught you in his arms! What was it like?"

I brush myself off from all dust, then huff, "pretty crappy actually, he seems so rude! He didn't even bother asking me if I was okay!" I cross my arms and shiver, _it was actually pretty frightening…_ I think to myself. I've never had a stranger stare at me so coldly before.

"Yah, that was pretty rude of him…." Tsubaki commented.

"Just what do you think you were doing, making a fool out of yourself in front of such an important guest?!" I turn around to see my least favorite colleague; Medusa. She was in her late twenties and for some odd reason, had always had a hatred towards me. Tailing close behind her were her little 'minions' (as Tsubaki and I call them), Mizune and Eruka.

I reply to her question bluntly, "Look, accidents happen, I couldn't help-"

Medusa cuts me off, "It was your fault for not paying attention to what was going on around you," she sticks a finger in my chest, "you're in charge of the regular guests, not someone as important as he is! You have no business being around the VIP's." She takes her finger away from my chest, "try getting promoted to a VIP maid like myself and _then_ we'll talk."

We stare at each other intently, before I say, "Yes Medusa…" I never liked complying with her orders, but since she was at a higher position than me, she technically could jeopardize my future career.

She smiled like a snake, "that's a good girl. Now, go to every floor and drop off all the special gift boxes for the guests staying for the spa package."

A vein pops out of my forehead in irritation, "you mean… all by myself?"

She leans in closer to my face, "yah, you got a problem with that?'

"….no," I reply. Medusa had always loved to irritate me, knowing that I can't talk back to her.

Medusa smiles, "that's a good girl. Have fun with that now," With a snicker, the snake and her minions slither away, out of sight.

I sigh, "I'll see you later Tsubaki, I better go get ready for the I.V.C." Tsubaki waves, "I'll see you later!" I leave her and head towards the elevator that led to the basement.

Before I get close to the elevator entrance, I see a man and a woman arguing loudly about something in front of the elevator. The woman, whom was wearing a dark blue peplum dress, threw a mask on the floor.

"I can't believe you!" She yells loudly, "I can't take it anymore! It's over, you bastard!" She slaps him across the face then storms away, as if fumes were coming out of her ears.

I look at the mask that way lying on the floor. It looked like a mask that a person would wear at a masquerade ball. The man picks up the mask then brushes it off.

The man had red hair that was tied back in a ponytail and wore a casual black suit, he leaned up against the wall and huffed to himself, looking at the ground, "shit… now I don't have a date."

He looks up and glances around, eventually making eye contact with me. I quickly look away, not looking for any more trouble in one day. There was an awkward silence between the two of us, which was pretty hard to ignore.

Just as I was walking away to another elevator entrance, he calls out, "hey you, with the pigtails." I turn around slowly to face him. "You just saw that whole fiasco, didn't you?" I ignore the question, as if I didn't hear it. But after a few seconds, I look up and see him still staring at me. Eventually, I nodded my head.

"I apologize for eavesdropping sir, but I have business to attend to, so if you wouldn't mind letting me into the elevator-"

He stops me in my tracks, grasping his hand firmly around my wrist. "Now, come on, don't run away. We've only just met! I'll explain everything when we get there." He started to pull me in the elevator with him.

"Um… Excuse me….Sir! I have places to be!" Before I knew it, he had closed the elevator and had pressed floor 60, the casino floor. _That's where the I.V.C is being held,_ I think to myself.

We were all alone in the elevator, which was quite awkward. I look down and see him still holding the firm grasp on my wrist. He wasn't showing any signs of letting go.

The man smiles, "well, you _are_ a bit young, but I'm lucky I found another date," he proclaims, "after all, there's no way I could walk into a party without a woman on my arm!"

I roll my eyes at that comment and pretend that I didn't hear it, "So I assume you're attending the I.V.C?"

He puts an arm around my shoulder, "no sweetheart, _we're_ attending the I.V.C!"

 _This guy is a VIP guest?_ I stare at his face for a good few seconds, but don't recognize him. He could possibly be a model, hence the suit, but he didn't seem attractive enough to be one…

I brush his arm off my shoulder and back away, putting my hands in the air, "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I work at the hotel, so I can't go to the party with you, misfortunately. And what about that woman you dumped up back up at the lobby? Aren't you worried at all about her?"

"That lady? I couldn't care less about her," he smirks, "the reason I dumped her was so I could meet you."

The man grabbed my chin and made me face him. I was so close to his face, I could practically feel his breath grazing my face. He stares for a few seconds, then says "yeah, you're just my type. This is destiny!" He throws his hands in the air as if celebrating.

 _This guy's a total whack-job, plus he looks like he's in his mid-thirties…. We just met, he's probably ten years older than me, and to top it off he moves way to fast. There's no wonder why he got dumped…_

The elevator comes to a stop. The man and I arrive at the casino floor.

"Let's go, my sweet," He takes my arm and drags me out into the casino before I could protest.

I have never been on the casino floor during the I.V.C. It was ten times more crowded than usual. Everywhere you look, there was either celebrity or a news reporter trying to talk to a celebrity. The room was brightly lit by a gorgeous chandelier that hung from the high ceiling. There were waiters or waitresses walking around serving champagne, while the guests gamble away at the tables or machines.

There were so many faces I recognized in the room, it was overwhelming. I was so wrapped up at looking at all the celebrities, it takes me a few moments to realize the man who brought me to the party had disappeared.

 _That jerk, he drags me here against my own free will, then runs off like I don't even exist?_

Suddenly, I hear a voice calling out from behind me, "excuse me, you look like you work here. Do you happen to have any champagne?"

I turn around to see a man a sharply-dressed man with black hair that had three white strips running through the top. He wore a black suit that had a skull for a tie. His hair seemed to be perfectly combed.

 _I recognize him, but I can't put my finger on where I've seen his face._ I think to myself.

 _However, I gasp when I realize who he is._ "D-Death the Kid?" I stutter.

"So you know who I am?" he smiled warmly, "I'm flattered."

"Oh…I'm sorry! That was rude of me to say," I immediately regret what I said earlier, it made me sound like I was a stalker. But then again, I don't know a person who doesn't know who the world-renown model Death the Kid is.

I always believed that his pictures were highly photoshopped, but seeing his up close proved me wrong. His features were perfect. He didn't have a single imperfection on his face, reminding me of a porcelain doll. I broke out of my daze then said, "yes sir, I'll go get some champagne right away."

I've never worked on the casino floor before, so I had no idea where the champagne was. I look around the room for a while, then hear him chuckle, "you sure you work here? You looking all around the room as if you were Alice when she stumbled upon the Mad Hatter's tea party."

I raise an eyebrow and say politely, "excuse me?"

"Just ignore that comment," he looks to a far corner of the casino, "I see some champagne over there on that table, I'll get it myself so you don't get lost. Now try to stay safe, will you?"

He grins with amusement and leaves with a wave.

He seemed very nice and polite, at least compared to the rest of the people that I met today. Despite that, I needed to get out there before I caused any more trouble.

I turn around for the elevator, but I'm stopped by another person. This man was rather short, had a very long nose, and had a grey mustache. He wore a top hat that was probably bigger than him.

The man grabs my hand and smiled in a way that sent chills down my spine, he seemed very sleazy…

"You know," he said, "I love girls just like you. You wanna come with me and give me some special room service? I'll make sure to tip you for the extra hard work."

His greasy face was looking at me up and down, it was disgusting. I give him a death stare and reply in a very stern voice, "Sorry, we don't offer that kind of service here." I would not let a man like that treat me that way.

The man snarls and drops my hand in disappointment. Right when I think he's about to leave me alone, he says, "you know, you're pretty lucky you met me. My net worth is more than $500 million." He slips his clammy arm around my waist and pulls me towards him, "so I think you can make an exception."

"You know," a voice behind us says to the man holding me, "This party just gets really uncool with you doing stuff like that. At least don't be so sleazy about it."

 _We both turn around and gasp._ _It's that same guy from before,_ I think to myself, _the man with the white hair._

"You both are in my way, move." He gives me a glare that nearly scared me out of my skin. I wasn't the only one intimidated, because right after that the short guy and I make a path for him to get through.

The short man's eyes go wide as he starts to panic, "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Evans sir! Please forgive me!" He dashes off without any trace.

Shizuka Kuran and Yuki Kioko, the two celebrities with Soul earlier, come rushing over to us. They both grab onto his arms, "Let's go, Soul!" Shizuka says.

He turns around and begins to walk away, still surrounded by the two women. I am overwhelmed by his presence as I watch him walk away.

I look down in his path and see a white, plastic glove on the floor. _Did he drop that?_ I walk over to it and pick it up, studying it. It was the kind of glove you would wear when handling paintings or artifacts.

 _Why would he have something like this?_

Despite his nasty attitude, I couldn't let him leave this behind. I call out to him, "Um sir? Excuse me, sir!" I speed walk towards him, but I lose him in the sea of people. After looking around for a bit, I see him at the far corner of the casino standing next to a deserted door. He walked through the door and disappeared from sight.

I make my way through the crowd then follow him through the same door.

Behind the door was a long, barren hallway. It had no decorations and was painted a plain white. There were hundreds of doors that were shut tight, and he could've entered through any of them.

"Which room did he go into?" I say to myself. At the far end of the hallway, I hear chatter among people. Taking my best guess, I made my way towards that room. When approaching the door, I see that it is slightly open.

I peeked through the small gap and see several tables. The tables had two-to-three briefcases lying on top of them. They were either filled with guns or large amounts of money. Three well-dressed men were in the room discussing something. I couldn't understand what they were saying… _Are they speaking in Chinese?_

I suck in a breath when out of nowhere, someone roughly grabs my arm and pulls me into the room. The man who grabbed me slams me up against a wall, while the other two men shut the door.

Fear and panic begin to set in. _What's going on?!_

I look at the man who forced me against the wall. He had bright blue hair and was very muscular. He wore a casual black suit that wasn't buttoned up all the way. He pinned my shoulders against the wall, holding me in place. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a very serious tone. He stared into my soul with very sharp eyes.

I was terrified, my body starts to shake furiously with fear. "I-I…." Words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

"I think this lady is just an employee," says a man with a thick Chinese accent, "she probably accidentally stumbled her way across here."

"You don't know that! She could be a spy for all we know!" The man holding me says. He stares at me intently for a few moments, me shaking vigorously in fear.

 _Shit…. I shouldn't be here,_ I think, _Are these guys going to kill me?!_

After analyzing me, the man with blue hair whispers intensely, "Look lady, you've got five seconds to disappear and forget everything you just saw, otherwise you'll be wiped off the face of the earth. " I didn't hesitate, I nodded my head and the man lets me go. I bolt away so fast that I trip over flat ground.

I run down the hallway, through the door I entered, past the crowd, and to the elevator. I bolt in there with my heart still hammering against my chest. I press floor -1 so furiously that I felt like the button was going to fall off the wall.

By the time I reach the basement storage room, my heart was still racing and I was out of breath. I make sure no one followed me to the storage room, then take a deep breath in and out.

 _That was so scary, I'm so glad that that guy let me go._ After my heart rate decreased, I thought to myself, _should I tell my boss that people are selling guns in the hotel?_

I shook the idea away. _No, the man said if I didn't forget about it, he'd kill me..._

Either way, I would have to forget about what just happened and focus on my job. I still had to deliver the gift boxes to all the guests and all my other chores for the day. I go to the back of the storage room and pick up the gift boxes. As I turn the corner towards the elevator, I slam into something and fall onto the ground, dropping all the boxes.

I look up and see two men, whom were also on the ground. They were carrying a large wooden crate, which was now also on the ground. One of the men get up and peek inside the crate, a look of panic goes across his face.

"Oh no! The statue of Venus is broken! It's completely shattered!" The other man pops up from the ground and peers inside the box as well.

"What?!" I exclaim in shock. I quickly look inside the crate and see the statue, shattered into pieces. "Oh my god, I'm so sor-"

But then I stop myself. I remember seeing this statue somewhere before, I've seen it on the news. It was stolen from a museum a few days ago.

 _This couldn't be the actual statue of Venus… there's no way…_

I look up at the two men, who were glaring angrily at me. One of the men stare at me with fury in his eyes. He says, "this was a very important piece that was going to be auctioned off! How are you gonna pay for this?!"

Words wouldn't come out of my mouth. It was as if every step I took in that day, I was getting myself in to more and more trouble. I swallowed hard, then spoke, "I'm sorry, I had no idea someone else was down here-"

"You think an apology is gonna cut it?" The other man blurts out, "you owe us big time!"

The three of us stare at each other for a few seconds, then out of nowhere one of the men throws a punch at my head, knocking me out cold.

"1.7 million dollars from number 2! 1.8 million dollars from number 13!"

My memories from the first part of the day began to flow back to me. I got put up for auction in place of the statue of Venus.

"Wow! 2 million dollars from number 6! Going once…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, someone was bidding 2 million dollars on me. Seat number 6 was right in front of the stage. I turn my head to see who it was, and even with the hideous mask on I could tell it was the same creep with the long nose from earlier.

 _Was he going to buy me?_ Panic sets in, that man buying me was one of the last things that I wanted. The man in seat 6 leers at me.

I didn't want to be auctioned off, I didn't want to be here. I look around for anyway out of this mess, but there was no way. I stand up and try fighting the chains, but it was no use.

What was going to happen if that man was going to buy me for 2 million dollars? The auctioneer was saying that I'd be a slave or a toy…. No human being should ever be addressed that way. There had to be some way of this…. Anyway…

"2 million, going twice!"

 _I start to shake vigorously, No, no, no, this can't be happening...Oh god please no…._

I fall to my knees hanging my head in defeat, the tears I have been holding back all day threaten to fall.

 _What am I going to do? Mom, Tsubaki…. Please, help me…._

But then, the unexpected happened.

The auction hall suddenly buzzes with commotion, I look over to the man in seat 6 and see that his mouth had dropped to the ground. _What's going on?_

"Seat number 100 with a bid of… $20 million dollars?!"

I barely could believe my ears. Was I hearing things?

"Are there any more bids?"

My mind went totally blank. Someone had just bet $20 million dollars on me? I was completely dumbfounded. A bell sounds from the back of the auditorium, calling the auction to a close.

The auctioneer motions his hands to what appeared to be seat 100. I try to catch a glimpse of who it was, but the seat was too far away. "Sold to the man in seat 100 for $20 million dollars!"

Two masked men come from backstage and unlock my shackles, dragging me offstage. This was my opportunity to escape. I attempt running off the stage, but before I take a step, I was lifted in the air by the two.

"Put me down! Put me down!" I scream out, squirming around trying to escape.

"Sorry lady, but we gotta take you to your new owner," says the one of the men.

When we get backstage, they place me down on the ground gently. I didn't see a point in escaping now, I'd have to wait until there weren't people around, especially people this physically capable.

I had to admit, I was glad that the short sleazy guy didn't buy me. I wasn't sure what would have happened if he bought me. But where were they going to take me now?

And most importantly, who bought me?


	2. The Decision

After the two men place me down, I am left alone backstage. Just as I view this as my opportunity to escape, two more men appear before me, one with red hair and the other with black and white, both wearing masks.

"Follow me," says the man with the black hair as he walks away. I comply with the man's order with the red-haired man trailing directly behind me, making sure I wouldn't escape. He leads me to an elevator located backstage and I am pushed inside once it opens. The two men follow me in and one of them presses the button to take us to floor 63.

It is impossible to think straight. I couldn't believe that illegal auctions are currently going on in the Crimson Cosmo's basement. More importantly, these auctions are selling items that are stolen, and items that are _human._ What was going to happen to me? Would I ever see any of my loved ones again? What would become of my daily life?

But I couldn't think like that at the moment, it would only lead to panic. I should be thinking of a way to get out of this….

The elevator opens and we arrive at our destination. We were on a floor that was higher than all the VIP rooms and even the casino. They have taken me to the penthouse suite. Out of all the hotel employees, only the manager can come up here, so to me it was a shock to see all the features of the huge room.

The penthouse was even bigger than the casino. It consisted of two floors, which had a grand staircase leading up to the second floor. The tiled floor was made of marble and the furniture looked as if each piece cost at least a few thousand dollars. The room was lit by a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, similar to the one located in the casino. Along with all the grand features, there was a large television set in the center of the room with red sectional sofas across from it.

"Hey, boss!" the red-haired man yelled to the second level, "we brought her," The two men cross to a far side of the room and take a seat on the sofa, crossing their legs in the process. The pair take off their masks and I instantly recognize them. My two escorts were Death the kid and the womanizer who took me to the IVC from earlier.

I gasp in shock, "Death the Kid! You're involved in this?"

He nods his head, "that's right."

"What's going on?! Why am I-"

The one with the red hair huffs and throws his hands up in the air in anger, cutting me off, "hey, am I gonna get any recognition?! I'm here too!"

I give him a death glare, taken back by the ignorance of his comment, "because of you, I'm stuck in this mess to begin with! If you didn't drag me down to that stupid party, I would probably not be stuck in the situation to begin with!"

Kid smiles and laughs silently, "She doesn't even know your name. How can you expect her to care about you?"

The other man shrugs, "I didn't have time to tell her it," he looks at me and winks, "by the way, the name's Spirit." I continue to glare at him. After all he's gotten me into, he acts like we should be on the best of terms. _What a complete idiot…._ I think to myself.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps coming from the second floor. "Here he comes," says Death the Kid. I snap my head in the direction of the staircase and suck in a breath. Coming down the stairs was none other than the white-haired man, accompanied by the blue haired guy selling guns earlier. The celebrity was wearing the same black and red pinstriped suit from earlier, and the other in his casual suit.

He walked casually down the stairs with his hands in his pockets without recognizing the drama going on below. The other guy followed closely behind him.

When they reach the bottom of the staircase, he stares straight into my eyes without saying a word. I swallow hard, unsure if I should say something or not.

"Not sure if you know these people or not," says Spirit, "but this is Soul and Black Star." He references to the man with white hair, then to the other.

Black Star chuckles slightly, "so we ended up catching you after all, didn't we?"

Soul turns to him, "you know this woman, Black Star?"

He shrugs and crosses his arms, "I guess you could say that. We ran into each other a bit earlier. Guess it was a good decision to not kill her… after all, it seems you made quite the investment in the chick, Soul."

I was surprised at all the words that were being thrown around, unsure of what they were exactly saying. "Wait a second…." I look directly at Soul, " _You_ bought me?! I thought you hated me! Why would you do that?! "

"Slow down, you're jumping to conclusions too-"

I cut him off, "But what does it mean, you _bought_ me?"

"What does it sound like?" Death the Kid says, "he means he won you at the auction."

"For 20 million dollars too," says Spirit.

Once again, I couldn't process everything at once, the new and absurd ideas were too much to take in all at once. I hesitate before I speak, "But wait a minute..." I say, "You bought and won me at an auction…."

"We know, we went through this a few times already," Black Star says, "do you not speak English?"

"I know but…" At this point, I was beginning to become very irritated. Were these people not seeing the insanity of this whole situation at all? Completely losing my calm, I scream at them, "Does nobody see the problem here?! I'm a human being! I shouldn't have been _up_ for auction in the first place!"

"Anything and everything is up for sale at that auction," Spirit says, "You can just about buy anything from that auction, from stolen art, to secret information about politicians… _people_ " he emphasizes, "You can even hire a hitman."

"What?!"

"Well," He chuckles, "if there's someone out there to buy it, you can sell it. At that auction, there are no rules."

Death the Kid scratches his chin, "coming to think of it, this is actually the first time a person has ever been auctioned off," he turns to the Soul, "is that even allowed?"

He shrugs, "if it's worth anything, it's there at the auction. There's no rules set for what can't be sold."

"Interesting…." Death the Kid gives me an intent look, "you must've done something pretty bad, huh?"

I bite my lip, contemplating the accident that had happened today. But I shake it away, "That doesn't matter! No matter what I did, there is no way an auction like this would ever be allowed here!" I yell out, "who in the world would approve this?!"

"That person would be me." Soul was on the other side of the room, pouring himself a glass of champagne. There had been so much going on, I had barely notice him cross there.

"W-what?" I stutter.

He takes a sip of his drink, then replies, "what does it sound like? I was the one to approve the auction."

 _But how in the world would he be able to approve the auction?_ I contemplate. _He may_ _have_ _a lot of money, but that doesn't mean he can approve this event at the hotel…_

"You're being reckless as always Soul," Black Star blurs out, "this woman isn't worth anything. I mean, look at her! She doesn't even have the curves!"

My eye twitches "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Soul takes a sip of his champagne, "but won't it be fun thinking up of ways to use her? After all, I did purchase her." He and Black Star smirk after the comment.

 _These guys are pigs,_ I think to myself. "What gives you the right to decide that?" I ask rudely.

Soul stares at me for a few seconds, almost as if in disbelief of what I had said. Placing down his champagne, he walks slowly over to me. Once he gets close enough to my face, he says, "Who gave you permission to speak?"

There was a long pause, "...Excuse me?" I say, unsure of myself.

He snarls his teeth, "don't open your mouth unless I say so."

It was the first time I got to see his teeth. At that moment, I realized how sharp his teeth were. They looked as if they had been filed to a point, or as if they had come directly from a shark's mouth. His mere appearance had made me terrified to disobey his wishes. _Red eyes, shark teeth, albino hair…. How weird is this guy?_

Black Star snickers maliciously, "if you got a problem with our rules, would you prefer to go back to number 6?"

I look at the ground shamefully, his comment got me to shut up. It made me sick to the stomach to even think that people like number 6 existed. A man I was so close to be sold off to…

Spirit crosses his arms and waves his hand around, "c'mon boss….Black Star…. You guys should be nice to the lady. On top of that, we need to figure out who gets to keep her."

Without giving the other guys a chance to respond, he gets up from the sofa and puts an arm around me just as he did in the elevator earlier that day, "I vote that I am the one who gets to take this one home." He turns to me and caresses my cheek, "I'm the only good guy here, so if you come with me, you can rest easy."

I brush his hand off, "I seriously doubt that."

Soul scuffs, "you wouldn't be the most reliable source, coming from the world famous thief."

 _This guy's a thief?_ I think to myself. There was so much I didn't know about this hotel, what kind of guests were we taking care of?

"C'mon Soul!" Spirit complains, taking his arm off me at the same time, "You're just trying to lower my chances with the chick. Plus you've got tons of groupies, just play with one of them!"

"I think Black Star would be the guy who could pick any girl," Death the kid points out, "I'm sure there are loads of women out there who would do anything to be the lover of a Hong Kong Mobster."

I'm speechless for a moment, I wasn't sure what to say. I was in the same room of a mobster, a thief, a world-renown model (who knows what kind of stuff he's done to end up with this bunch), and a millionaire. _Who in the world are these people?_

I pull myself together, "I don't care who the hell you people think you are," I shoot up from the courch, "human trafficking is illegal! I'm going to report this to the police!"

Black Star grins, "go ahead, there's one right over there." He turns my gaze to an older looking man sitting by the window. He was sitting in a swivel chair and smoking a cigarette. He wore a tuxedo that looked as if it were poorly made because there were stitches all over it. He wore glasses and had his hands were in his pockets. The weirdest part about him was that he had a large, oversized screw on the side of his head.

"You're a cop?" I exclaim.

He nods his head, "I guess you could call me that," he replies, "but a more accurate title for me would be Detective Stein."

"And you allowing all of this to happen?!" I say in shock.

He shrugs his shoulders, "I guess you could say that."

Death the Kid gets up from the sofa, "well, it doesn't look like you guys are going to reach a decision any time soon, so I might as well just leave."

"No Kid!" Spirit exclaims, "don't go, things are just about to get good!" Death the Kid shrugs sits back down, "if you say so."

"Shut up, Spirit," Soul says coldly. All eyes went on him, "I don't want to waste any more time on this, so let's let her make the decision." I raise an eyebrow in confusion, what did he mean by that?

Spirit, Kid, Black Star, and Soul all stand up and saunter towards me. The detective stays seated.

The all make a line in front of me, with Soul in the center. He crosses his arms, looking down at me with his cold, crimson red eyes.

He smirks, showing off his shark teeth, "I like to think of myself as a pretty cool dude, so I'm going to let you make a decision," he puts up five fingers, "you have five options." He motions a hand towards every person as he mentions their name, "you have the slacker detective Stein, the womanizing thief Spirit, the enigmatic model Death the Kid, the self-absorbed mobster Black Star.-

"I'm not self-absorbed! I just proclaim the truth about my godly powers!" Black Star blurts out in objection

"And finally," he puts a hand on his chest, "you have yours truly, the coolest millionaire there is."

He sticks up his five fingers again, "five choices, and I'll let you choose who gets to keep you."

I was so taken back by this, I had no idea what to say. He was letting me choose who I would be bought by? _But I never wanted to be bought by anyone in the first place, how does he expect me to choose?_

I had to think long and hard about this as the five men stare at me intently. I definitely didn't want to go with Spirit, he was way too into girls and would probably act like a complete pervert all the time. I didn't know much about Detective Stein, but he didn't seem like a good option since he was a detective supporting illegal activities. Black Star intimidated me way too much since he was involved with a mafia and had bad news written all over his forehead.

Then there is Soul, the millionaire who is way too cold-hearted and selfish for his own good.

Out of all the options, I came to the conclusion to go with Death the Kid. He seemed like the nicest out of all of them, even though he did have the odd quirk of hanging out with some of the most dangerous people in the world...

But before I could announce my decision, Soul interrupts my train of thought, "Time's up," he blurts out. He comes up to me, grabs my wrist, and then begins to march towards the stairs, dragging me behind him.

"Hey!" I yell out, "what are you doing?"

"You were taking too long," He replies abruptly, "so I made the decision for you." His hand was holding my wrist so tightly it felt as if ropes were cutting into my skin.

Death the Kid puts a hand up to his forehead, "you're so impatient, Soul," he says.

Spirit crosses his arms in frustration, "as usual, boss steals all the good stuff for himself! She probably would've said me anyways."

Death the Kid snickers, "I think he may have a thing for the pretty lady."

Out of nowhere, Soul suddenly stops in his footsteps, making me jerk back slightly. His hand is still firmly holding on my wrist. "Do you guys play with a toy until it breaks?" Soul asks.

Death the Kid looks at Spirit for a second looking for answers. With no response from Spirit, he responds, "Well… If I really like the toy, then I'll take really good care of it, right? That way it won't break."

"Same thing applies," Soul trudges away, pulling me harshly behind him.

Spirit calls out to you, "you know boss, the lady isn't a doll. You shouldn't break her. "

He stops, once again jerking me forward. "I bought her. I can decide whether I want to break her or not."

"I am not a toy!" I object.

Soul's grip tightens on my wrist. He makes me face him then stares at me directly in the eyes, "Did you really forget whatjust I said?" He pulls me closer to him and lowers the tone of his voice, "do not speak without my permission."

This new low voice makes my body freeze. It was as if he had replaced all my anger with fear.

He takes a deep breath in and continues up the stairs, with his hand still on my wrist, "let's go."

I hear a sigh behind me, "oh well," says Spirit, "Once Soul's made up his mind, he doesn't budge. There's no use in trying anymore."

Soul dragged me down hallways for what seemed to last forever. There were twists, turns, and hundreds upon hundreds of rooms. The hallways didn't have any pictures, nor did it have windows. It looked as if you were in the regular guest room hallway, but bigger. I had to remind myself this was only one room. _How big is the penthouse suite?_

However, we eventually reach a room at the back of the hallway. Once we enter, I was shocked at how exquisite it was. There were two small chandeliers and a large Californian King-Sized bed at the back of the room, which had one chandelier hanging from each side of the bed. The chandeliers were lite by a dim blue flame. The carpet was a black-and-red with a circle link patter, and the wallpaper was a deep blood red. There were two small black sofas positioned at one corner of the room.

Probably the most intriguing part was the view. If a person were to step out on the porch, they would have a perfect view of Death City. Most of the window was covered by red curtains, leaving the glorious view out of sight.

Soul roughly tosses me on the bed and takes a few steps back. I never imagined a man could be this rude.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you think you can just treat me like an item!? I'm a real, breathing, living person, not a toy to be played with!" I shout. I was drowning in my rage, it was overwhelming. I have never heard a group of people talk about a person so vulgarly.

Soul crosses his arms and stares at me silently for a few seconds. The cold glare had come across his face again, and each second he stared at me his faced seemed to become even crueler. The look didn't have a hint of warmth to it. "You never thanked me, you know."

"Thanked you?! You bought me against my own free will!"

"It's not like I bought you because I had a use for you," he calmly states. I was taken back by this slightly and hadn't imagined this to come out of his mouth.

Soul sighs with frustration and ruffles his hair with a hand, "you know that creepy old man who was going to buy you?" He asks.

I look at him, unsure, then nod my head.

"His name's Mosquito. He was a colleague of mine back in the days. I know what he's like; he's vulgar, cruel, and inhuman. He's involved in businesses worse than human trafficking. If he were to buy someone like you," he stops for a moment, "let's just say you probably wouldn't see tomorrow's daylight."

I swallow hard and take in what he just said, did he buy me just to save me? _Maybe he isn't that bad after all._

Soul closes his eyes, "I saw you on that stage... I didn't want to see an innocent person fall into the clutches of Mosquito. Not again."

At that moment, I felt as if a small weight has been lifted off my chest. I still had many questions about the whole situation, but it was calming to know that the man who had bought me didn't have vulgar intentions.

He crosses his arms again and stares at me, "but just because I bought you for that reason doesn't mean I'm going to let you off the hook! I'm not letting 20 million dollars go down the drain!" He cruelly yells. All hints of kindness from earlier had vanished into thin air.

"I'll tell you the rules for being with me," Soul says with the same amount of warmth his glare had. "Do _not_ talk back to me. You may only answer my questions with 'yes,' 'okay,' or just comply and not respond. Those are the only two words you can say without my permission."

"Those words have the same-"

"Didn't I just say no talking back?" He says. I could tell my non-eagerness to do what he wanted was starting to get to him. Soul storms across the room to the bed and crouches down to me. He grabs my chin and pulls me towards him. I was as close to him as I was when I fell on top of him earlier that day.

His cold gaze pierces right through my body, "I bought you, got that? Therefore, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, with you. You should be thankful I haven't done anything inhumane to you." He was so close to me, I could feel his breath on my face. He grins, making his cruel smile cut harshly into me, "if you understand, then undress."

"Wha-?!"

He cuts me off, "Would you prefer to go back to Mosquito?!" He drops my chin and crosses his arms, waiting for me to comply. Did this guy seriously think I would do what he says? I think it over, but remember what he said about Mosquito…. What if he actually sent me to him? Would Soul's warnings about him be correct?

I never thoughts that in a thousand years I would come to the conclusion to obey him.

 _I'll think of a different way to get out of the overall dilemma later, but for now I've got to think of a way to get out of this…._

I sit there, trying to think of something to say. But he breaks the silence before I can, "Let me tell you my second rule" he says, "when I order you to do something, I want you to do it within five seconds."

I freeze on the bed, what was I supposed to do? There was no way I could do what he said… that would disrespect myself and my morals.

But I didn't have time to act. Soul reaches his hand towards me and grabs the collar of my white dress roughly. The buttons concealing my chest fly open, revealing my bare chest. He kept a hand on my shoulder.

My face flushed to the shade of a tomato with mixed feelings. Pure embarrassment. Frustration. Anger. Soul was staring right at my chest, making me squeeze my eyes shut in fear.

Out of nowhere, he sighs and loosens the grip on my shoulder. I open my eyes slightly and see him looking down at my chest in disappointment.

"Nothing…." He mutters under his breath.

I stare at him with disbelief. _Did he just say…. Nothing?_ I was relieved at the moment that he wasn't going to do anything vile, but then I think over what he just said again. _Is he talking about my breast size?!_

"What do you mean, nothing?!" I exclaim, "are you unhappy because I don't have any boobs or something?! You don't need to point it out! I know that!"

He raises one of his eyebrows at me, but shrugs off the comments I said. He struts away to the door and turns the knob, but just as he is about to leave he turns around and says with a wink, "I'll think of a good use for you later, flat-chest."

"Who're you calling a flat chest?!" I reach over on his bed, grab a pillow, and throw it at him. However, I dreadfully miss when he closes the door and leaves the room before he can feel the wrath of my pillow.

I was angry at the whole situation, but I also had to control my temper. I didn't want to get on the bad side of this guy, who'd know what would happen to me if I did.

But what did he mean when he said he'll think of a good use for me? He was so hard to read. One second, he's talking about how he just saved me from a guy who would've done horrible things to me if he didn't buy me. The next, he's practically ripping my dress open and is unhappy with what he sees.

He was so proud, vain, and self-conceited. However, I don't expect anything else from a man with his deep pockets, but I can't help and wonder what would become of me now that someone like him has bought me.

I wasn't sure what to do once he left the room. If I leave, he would probably get mad and who knows what he would do to me. I decided to stay, just to play it safe.

I cross over to the large window and open the curtains to have my breath taken away. It was probably the most beautiful view of Death City I had ever seen in my entire life. The nighttime scenery spreads out as far as the eye can see. The city was beaming with lights of all different colors and intensities. It didn't look like a city filled with corruption, but rather a place of happiness.

 _If only those people out there knew what was happening within the city…_

"Your shirt's ripped open, Soul already had his way with you?" I snap my head back and see Death the Kid made the comment. I was so mesmerized by the view I barely noticed he had walked in. He was standing in the doorway.

"That's moving way too fast, in more ways than one," says Death the Kid. Moments later, the man with the red hair walks in.

I look down to see my shirt bared open and quickly cover up with a nearby towel. "Death the Kid, it's you! And, um…"

Death the Kid smiles with amusement and turns to the guy next to him, laughing, "pff, she forgot your name again, Spirit! You must not be that important to her."

 _That's right, his name is Spirit… I should probably remember that next time, not that it really matters…_

Spirit shrugs, "well I did only casually introduce myself once." He extends a hand out to me, which I grasp and shake, "my full name is Spirit Cross, however you can call me anything to your liking. A few suggestions! Babe, darling, love…"

I let go of his hand, "Spirit it is then."

Once again, Death the Kid breaks out into laughter, almost more hysterically than last time, "She totally ignored you! That's priceless!"

Spirit rolls his eyes, "we'll get to know each other better sooner than later, and the first step to that is by introducing yourself," he turns to me, "what's your name?"

 _This guy seems more sleazy than that short bidder, he took me as his date to the IVC even before he knew my name._

"Maka Albarn."

"Maka," Spirit smirks, "that's a pretty cute name."

I disregard the comment and turn to the other man, "um, Death the Kid, what are you two doing here?"

"You know," he says, "you can just call me Kid, everyone does after all. Seems much less formal and friendlier, right?"

Spirit scuffs, "Kid's so good with persuasion, it's scary. Although deep down he's totally rotten to the core."

"What're you talking about, Spirit? How could you call me rotten when the media calls me 'The Marvel'?"

 _I think I've seen that phrase about Kid before in magazines…. It may have been the title of his page in the "RIP" magazine._

The two glare at each other, becoming totally sidetracked from my original question, "so why are you guys doing here anyways?" I ask.

Spirit shrugs, "Apologies for intruding, but Soul asked us to take you to your sleeping quarters for tonight. Although if you're not satisfied with the arrangements, my room is always available for-"

 _"Anyways,"_ Kid emphasizes as he cuts him off, "it's pretty irresponsible for Soul not to do this himself. He should take care of his own things, not have his friends do the dirty work. He's like an owner who doesn't take proper care of his pet."

Spirit turns to me, "so it turns out the pet works at the hotel?" he asks. A vein pops out of my forehead from frustration. How disrespectful towards me can they be? Kid continues off Spirit's comment, "oh yah, I remember the first time seeing you in that uniform, rather than the dress. She was in a maid's get up, right?" Kid asks Spirit.

Spirit nods his head, "that's right."

There was a long pause between the three of us, until Spirit breaks the silence. "The guys and I are a bit curious," he asks, "how did you end up in the auction? It's not something just anyone randomly comes across."

"How?" I ask with irritation, "you're the reason I ended up in this mess!"

Spirit raises an eyebrow, "what'd you mean? All I did was take you down to the IVC as a date, it's not like I took you to the auction or anything."

I was about to say something, but I stopped myself. He wasn't the _direct_ reason I was here, but he was a significant factor. "Let me explain," I start my story. "Spirit dragged me down to the IVC, _against my will_ may I add. I eventually got out of the party and got to the hotel's basement storage room, which is where I needed to start my work today. I bumped into these two men who were carrying a huge box. A glass statue was in that box…. and I ended up breaking it."

"The statue of Venus?" Spirit asks.

"So if I put two-in-two together," says Kid, "you were put up for auction in place of that statue?"

I nod my head, "that's what I assume."

Kid scuffs, "well, all I can say is that you have some pretty tough luck. That statue was one of the main reasons most of the people came to the auction today. There's no way those guys would let you off the hook with just a simple apology."

"But hey!" Spirit exclaims, "look on the bright side, you got to meet Stein, Black Star, myself, Kid, and Soul, and one of those guys is the most eligible bachelor in the world right now, similar to a prince."

"You mean Soul?" Kid asks with a chuckle in this throat, "Soul's more like a dictator than a prince!"

Spirit clenches his jaw, "I was referring to myself…" His tone changes, and Spirit turns to me, "by the way Maka, what do you think of Soul?"

I think before I give my response. These guys were close to Soul, I don't want to say the wrong thing. "I don't know him very well," I say, "but from my first impression he's a very cold person. His expression, attitude, and tone of voice stays monotone, angry, and cold."

"For a first impression, you're fairly accurate," Kid says, "But if you get to know him better, I'd bet you'd see a totally different side of him."

I roll my eyes, "right."

"And yet women still love him!" Spirit cries hysterically, "they follow him around as if he's a magnet." He sighs, "Life just isn't fair, is it?"

 _He comments so much about women, it almost comical..._

Spirit looks at me, "by the way, I wouldn't recommend telling anyone about that auction."

"More accurately," Kid corrects, "you're not allowed to say a word about the auction. I don't think anyone wants to see you dead any time soon."

I scratch the back of my head, "I wasn't planning on doing that," I hesitantly say. I was right not to tell my boss about the men in the basement, if I did I would probably not be here right now.

Kid smiles pleasantly, "good, as long as you understand that and don't disobey Soul, I don't see any problems to arise… well not _yet,_ at least." He makes his way towards the door and opens it, "c'mon, we'll take you to your room."

I am a little stunned by the huge contradiction between Kid's smile and his words. One second he smiling brightly, the next he's making comments as dark as death. Nether the less, I follow Kid out of the room with Spirit following close behind.

The hallways seemed less intimidating with Kid showing me around. They didn't look as big and long as they did before, possibly due to the fact that I was terrified earlier. We didn't have to travel down the halls to get to my room, because my room was directly across from Souls.

Kid stops and turns around, looking at me, "by the way, the room we were just in is the boss' bedroom and office, this whole floor belongs to Soul. His rooms are different from ours up here in the penthouse."

"Wait, you guys live in the penthouse too?" I ask.

Spirit nods his head, "Soul lives on the 63rd floor, which is where we are right now. Kid, Stein, Black Star and myself are on the 62nd floor, which is the executive floor," he smirks, "if you're interested, you can drop by my room anytime."

"I'll pass on that offer."

He sighs with disappointment, "that's a shame. But if you change your mind, I'll keep the door unlocked for you," he winks.

"Earlier, we were in the lounge," Kid says, "All five of us use that area. If we're not in our rooms, we're most likely there." He crosses to a door directly across from Soul's room and opens it, "this is your room. We'll help you get settled in."

I was slightly relieved when I entered the room. It didn't have the same dark atmosphere that Soul's bedroom had. Instead, it was a regular hotel bedroom that was identical to the rooms on the regular guest floor. It consisted of a queen-sized bed, a small bathroom, and television. The walls were painted white and had a beige carpeting. It was relaxing in a way and reminded me that I was still in the hotel.

"It seems you're all good," Spirit says, "There are towels and bathrobes in the closet I believe. If you need anything, just dial 786 on your phone and it'll go straight to my room."

"I think I'll just call the hotel lobby if I need anything."

Spirit shrugs, "worth a try". The two begin to walk out the room and just as Kid is about to leave, he turns around and says, "I know this is a lot to take in, but don't worry about it. It'll all work out in the end." They leave and close the door quietly behind them, leaving me all alone.

I collapse on my back on top of the bed, exhausted. How in the world did this happen to me? I get up to change into a robe, when I put a hand in a pocket of the dress I was wearing. I notice there's something in it. I take it out and see that it's the white glove I picked up earlier.

I sigh with defeat. This is the one that Soul had dropped before. If I wouldn't have picked this up and chased after him, none of this would have ever happened.

 _Stupid Maka…. Why did you do it?_

There is no sense in thinking that now. All I can do is sit here alone, and at a complete loss of what to do.

 ** _Side note: Spirit's last name is Cross because that's sorta the_** ** _form at the end of his scythe when he's a weapon._**


	3. The Shock

_**Hey guys!**_

 _ **I apologize for taking so long to release this chapter. You guys have probably heard this excuse a million times, but I had finals the past few weeks (which were**_ **so** _ **much fun may I add) and I wasn't able to update. But now summer is here, and I'm going to try and be as active as possible. So please don't hate me for any waits I make you guys suffer and idk if you're still reading this or not but if you are, enjoy the next chapter.**_

 _ **P.S. I don't own any of the characters in this story**_

I open my eyes and at first was slightly confused as to why I was in a guest room.

 _Where am I?_ I think to myself, my memory from yesterday was escaping me slightly. _Why am I not in the staff's dormitory?_ A sudden realization comes across me moments later.

Yesterday, I had accidentally broken an expensive statue and I was put up for auction in place of it. I was auctioned off to one of the richest men in the world; Soul Eater Evans. That's why I was in the guest room, which was located on the penthouse floor that Soul lived on. I was in this specific room because he had put me here until further notice.

My mind was racing as a throbbing migraine comes across me. It was too much to process, and too much stress to carry on my shoulders.

The curtains in the room were slightly open and the sun was shining brightly on my face as I lie in bed. Usually this would be a motivator for me to get up out of bed and go to work, but today was the exact opposite of that. I wanted to stay rolled up in the covers forever and pretend like nothing was wrong, that nothing had happened last night. I wanted to pretend that I hadn't broken one of the most expensive statues in the world, and that I wasn't currently the property of one of the richest men in the world.

Things in my life had never been so far from right. I didn't know what was going to happen to me once I got out of the guest bed, and I didn't have any desire nor was I in a rush to find out.

However, after a good half hour of lounging around in the bed, I dreadfully roll out of my comfortable heaven. Once I get up, I look down and see that I had fallen asleep in the white dress from yesterday. It was what I had worn when I was on stage in the auction hall. I had never wanted to get changed out of an outfit so badly. Being in that outfit only confirmed that the experience hadn't been a dream.

I make my way into the bathroom to try and find something to wear instead of the dress. The bathroom had a white marble countertop with small bars of soap, bottles of shampoo, and hand towels on it. It had all the necessities and was the Crimson Cosmo's typical hotel bathroom.

I get to the sink and splash my face with cold water, slightly waking me up. When I look into the mirror, I look as bad as I feel. I look as if I hadn't slept in a decade. I have dark circles under my eyes and my pigtails had come undone, giving my ash-blonde hair a very messy appearance.

I reach to a section of the counter to take a bar of soap to wash my hands when I see an object that I hadn't noticed before. There was a small hand written note next to all of the other items. It was written in black ink on a red note card. It read:

'Be in the living room at 10:00am, don't be late. –Soul'. The note was very stern and the point had come across to me very clearly.

I go back to the bedroom to check the alarm clock next to the bed. My eyes go wide when I glance at the clock.

"Shit! It's already 10:15!" I didn't have time to make myself presentable or get out of the dress. I dash to the closet, slip on a bathrobe over my dress, and bolt out of the room.

I had no idea where I was going. The long corridor had too many doorways to count and I had no clue which one would lead me to the living room.

My first try led to me to the kitchen, which was quite exquisite, but I didn't have time for sight-seeing. I was already on Soul's bad side and I didn't want to test how far I could push his patience. My second try led me to a private bar, which included a pool table and a personal bartender.

 _Who would think the penthouse would have such exclusive features,_ I think to myself.

By the time I found the living room, it was already half past ten. The living room was the largest room in the penthouse I had seen so far, minus the lounge. Overall, the room had a very pleasant atmosphere. It consisted of many modern-styled white sofas that were placed around a coffee table. There was a television set near the back of the room with a fire place underneath. There were also many large windows, giving the onlooker a marvelous view of Death City, identical to the one in Soul's room.

The carpet was a cream color and the walls white. This room was bright and cheery, the exact opposite of Soul's dark and dreary bedroom.

In the back there was a rather large dining table with chairs set around it. Soul was sitting at the table drinking his coffee and typing on a laptop. When I enter the room, he doesn't even look up.

As he continues typing, he says coldly, "You're late."

"Sorry, I overslept," I try to say with as little attitude as possible, but that seemed out of the question. There was an awkward silence between the two of us. Unconsciously, I slip a hand in my dress pocket and feel an object inside. It was the white glove I keep forgetting about.

I take out the glove and show it to him. "Yesterday at the IVC you dropped this. I wasn't sure if you wanted it back or not, so I picked it up."

He looks up for a brief second and motions his head to a part of the table, "Place it there," he orders. Once I comply and put the glove on the table, Soul stops typing and looks up at me, "have a seat," he says. I sit down in a chair directly across from him.

Soul closes his laptop and puts his elbows on the table, leering in towards me. His chin rests gently on one of the palms of his hands.

"For the time being, you're going to continue out the rest of your day as a maid at my hotel. You'll act as if nothing has happened between now and last night. If anyone asks where you were, say you left work sick. I've informed the managers of your absence and no penalties will be placed upon you."

He sighs with frustration, "it hasn't come to me just yet, but I'll think of a good use for you. When I do, you'll hear word from me."

"So for now… I'm continuing out my day as I usually would?" I ask.

"Exactly," he states. He was acting a lot different from last night. He would yell at me for everything I did previously, and when I said something other than 'yes' or 'okay' to one of his questions, he'd get pissed. But right now, it was as if we were having a regular conversation, as if he viewed me as his equal.

He opens his laptop and starts typing again. I sat there for a minute, unsure of what to do. _Do I stay here or should I go to work?_ After a minute's up, Soul glares and waves his hand at me as if I'm a fly, "I have no use for you right now, so I don't see the point of you being here. Go to work, I'll have Stein lay out a maid's uniform on your bed in the guest room. You'll be late to work, but I'll tell the managers about it." He looks back down at his laptop and doesn't look back up again.

This time, I knew exactly what I had to do. Slowly, I get up and make my way back to my bedroom to get changed for work.

From the penthouse, I went straight to the Morning Departmental Meeting where all the staff members would meet. It was about 11:30 when I arrived in the staff room. When the hotel was having an important event, such as the IVC, the staff would have a meeting to check on everything and make sure everyone was doing their job correctly and at their best.

I had only missed a small portion of my work day. Since guests don't usually get up extremely early, maids typically don't start cleaning rooms until past noon. It was a relief for me, hopefully no one had noticed that I was gone. I was a terrible liar and would probably freak out if someone were to ask me where I was yesterday.

When I enter the meeting room, I see Tsubaki sitting in a chair near the back of the room. She was next to Kim, another maid at the hotel. Kim was a sweet girl who was around Tsubaki and my age, but worked at the hotel for different reasons than us. She wasn't interested in college funds or going to college at all, but had to work here until she can find a permeant job to support herself.

I start making my way towards the pair. Once Tsubaki realizes that I entered the room, she cries out my name. "Maka! There you are!"

"Hey guys," I say. Tsubaki and Kim move down a seat so I could have a chair to sit in. I take a seat and smile at the two.

"I've been trying to call your phone all night, and you haven't picked up once!" Tsubaki exclaims, "Where were you yesterday?"

"Did you go home early or something?" Kim asks, "You left me to clean the rooms on floor eleven all alone…"

I scratch the back of my neck nervously, "Sorry about that, I felt sick. I went home early. But I'm feeling okay now, don't worry about it."

Tsubaki cocks her head to the side with confusion, "are you sure? You're acting a bit strange."

My heart begins to race and I swallow nervously before answering, "No, no! I'm fine now. Honestly! I just needed a little bit of rest is all."

Tsubaki stares at me curiously for a few seconds. I bite my lip, hoping she believes what I'm saying. Eventually, she shrugs her shoulders and says, "If you say so, Maka."

"Alright everyone, settle down," I turn my head to the doorway and see one of our managers, Sid Barrett, enter the room. He was holding a clipboard and wearing a suit. He took a seat at the front of the room and began the meeting.

"Let's get this meeting over with as soon as we can so we can get back to work," he says bluntly. "We have many international guests staying with us, as you know, due to the IVC…."

After that sentence, I begin to totally tune him out. My mind was too cluttered with stress to focus on Sid's lecture on what we should do when a person who doesn't speak English comes up to us.

I can't stop thinking about what Soul was going to use me for. I wouldn't be able to continue my normal job for much longer if he owns me. My biggest fear of being owned by Soul was my dreams of going to college disappearing. Would it still be a possibility to go on an receive an education?

But that wasn't the main thing bugging my mind. What bothered me is that he hadn't decided what he would use me for. What he said earlier was true, he didn't have much or any use for me. Of course, there was always the option of sexual pleasures, but he could have that whenever he wanted with the amount of girls swooning over him. On top of that, he _clearly_ stated I wasn't his type after he had bought me.

I was relieved that option was out of the picture.

He couldn't use me for information, and I also don't have anything that is of value to him. He couldn't use me as a maid, he owns and lives in a penthouse so he already has plenty of those. What would become of me?

After going deeper and deeper into contemplation, my train of thought is interrupted when Sid mentions the cleaning staff. I only hear the end of his sentence.

"….place flower arrangements in both the VIP and general guest rooms. They'll appreciate it after a long day of either being at the IVC party or just gambling away all their money at the casinos. We want to make sure their room is a place they can relax." Sid finishes his instructions with a huff. I believed it was the last he wanted to say.

My problems outside of work were huge and should be the complete center of my attention, but despite it all I still had to work. I still had to save up for college, and I still had the desire to fulfill my dreams. As I was about to leave the meeting room, Tsubaki grabs my attention and pulls me aside.

"Are you sure there is nothing on your mind?" she asks with concern, "I could tell you weren't paying even the slightest bit of attention to the meeting, which is totally out of character of you. You know you can trust me with anything, right?"

That last sentence hit me like a bullet to the heart. I stare into her eyes and see her concern. It would be so much less stressful if I could tell her what was going on in my life, yet I couldn't lie to her, or tell her the truth…

I take a deep breath in, "Look, Tsubaki, as much as I'd like to tell you what's going on in my life at the moment, you have to trust that it'll be better for us both if nobody knows, okay? I could try to go into more detail about this later, but as of right now it'll be in both of our best interests to keep my problems on a low dial."

Tsubaki is taken back by this, she is left at a blank of what to say. I could tell this wasn't the answer she wanted or was expecting. She nods her head and smiles gently, "okay, I'll stop pestering you about it. But if you need anyone to talk to, I'll always be there, no matter what it is, okay?"

I smile back at her and give her a hug, "you're the best."

I make my way out of the crowded meeting room and head down to the main lobby. Both Tsubaki and Kim go there with me. Kim and I would make our way towards the linen room where we would get our supplies for the day, while Tsubaki would go to the casino floor to start serving drinks to IVC guests.

The first thing that catches all of our eyes when we enter the lobby was how much more extravagantly decorated the room was than the day before. The floors and chandeliers seemed to shine brighter than usual, the staff seemed to dress sharper, and even the room smelled more fresh and welcoming. The peak of the IVC was coming around the corner and the hotel was really bumping up its game.

Many guests coming into the hotel were being escorted in by members of the staff. The entrance had ropes around the front that could only be opened by the multiple security guards stationed there.

Before, I would think that there was never a need for the guards and they were their just for show. After seeing what really happens at the hotel last night, I finally understand their true meaning. They had to make sure the guests who were coming in weren't people who had dangerous intentions at the auction.

I peer at the grand staircase in the lobby and see there is a huge crowd. Amongst the crowd were news reporters, and both regular and high status guests. The crowd seemed to be slowly shifting towards the elevator. Once again, I see that the crowd was following Soul and his model girlfriends swarming him, just like yesterday. Security guards were stationed around Soul in order to protect him.

I am confused when I see that Soul was making his way to the penthouse elevator instead of the regular elevator, which would lead him to the IVC party. I was expecting him to go to the IVC. _Why is he going back to his room?_ I think to myself.

Once Soul manages to make his way to the penthouse elevator, he shoos away all of the models expect for one. The models that were whisked away automatically start to whine and complain about Soul not being there with them. However, the lucky woman he remains with is tall, gorgeous, had long blonde locks, and breasts the size of boulders. I can barely take my eyes off of her, she is gorgeous.

 _Is she his girlfriend?_ I think to myself, _anyone dating Soul would have their hands full…. Or is Soul actually nice to his significant other?_

I stare at the couple for a second when all of the sudden my heart stops. I didn't realize that Soul was staring directly at me. My body tenses up like a wooden plank. We lock eye contact for what seems like an eternity. He wasn't giving me a cold stare like how he did last night, but not a kind one either. It was almost like a combination of the two. It didn't send shivers down my spine, nor did it make me feel weird inside.

Our eye contact was broken only when the elevator doors close.

"Wow…" Kim says in awe, "That was Soul Eater Evans! He's one of the richest men in the world, and also pretty good looking." Tsubaki starts to giggle when she sees Kim practically drooling.

"You know Kim," Tsubaki says, "looks and money aren't everything, personality counts too."

"Yah, I bet he's a total jack ass," I say, "he's probably cold, rude, and only thinks about himself…"

"Maka! You shouldn't be assuming things like that about other people."

I ignore her comment, "Kim and I are going to head down to the linen room and grab our supplies, we'll see you tonight after our shifts. Maybe we could all go out for dinner tonight or something like that?" I suggest.

"That sounds awesome!" Kim exclaims

"Well then, I'll see you guys tonight," with a wave, Tsubaki leaves us to the casino floor, leaving Kim and I in the hotel lobby. We head down to the linen room.

After grabbing our cleaning supplies and flowers, Kim and I take the regular elevator up to the guest rooms and start the day's work. We go around to all the rooms and place flower arrangements in all of them, along with cleaning up any messes left behind.

"Welcoming the guests with these flowers is a nice idea," Kim tells me as she places down a flower arrangement.

"That's Sid for you," I reply, "always being attentive to details like this."

After we finish placing the flowers, a knock comes from the door.

"Come in!" I cry out.

Our main manager, Hiro, walks through the door. He has mid length blonde hair with bright, turquoise eyes. He was always quite charming, but not always one of the brightest of our staff. "Making good progress?" He asks.

Kim blushes slightly, "oh, Mr. Hiro! We didn't see you walk in."

"We've been placing the arrangements just as Sid told us to do," I tell him, "how does it look?"

He looks as our flowers for a second, then gives us a thumbs up and smiles, "it looks great to me! The position of the arrangement is perfect, the guests are gonna love 'em. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you, Mr. Hiro!" Kim says with a blush.

He gives a slight nod to her and then leaves the room as quickly as he came.

Kim smiles a bit, "he's always so nice to everyone."

I smile and roll my eyes back casually, "Hiro always gives the staff a lot of individual attention, you know that Kim. But don't take him too seriously, I think he does it just to flirt with the chicks that work here."

"But he's awfully nice Maka, especially to me…"

I giggly slightly, "If you say so, Kim..."

Despite all his charisma, Hiro has always been amazing at his job. He has always managed to keep a smile on the staff member's faces.

Soon after Hiro's visit, Kim and I finish cleaning the room and start packing up the supplies.

"I'm going to double check everything is in order in this room," Kim says, "why don't you go ahead and start the next?"

"Sounds good to me," I reply. As I stroll out the room, I barely notice one of my least favorite people was lurking in the hallway, laughing about things unknown; Medusa, followed by Mizune and Eruka.

"Oh look who it is," she taunts, "Maka Albarn, the one and only. I heard you had to leave work early yesterday? It must be nice being a maid for the regular guests. Unlike us, maids in charge of VIP guests, we can't even afford an hour off!"

Mizune and Eruka snicker.

"And _why_ is this relevant at the moment?" I refute. Medusa has always loved rubbing in my face how she was a higher rank than me, and every time it always pisses me off.

"It's relevant because even for an ordinary maid, slacking off from work should not be tolerated."

"For your information, _Medusa,_ " I spit out her name as if it was poison, "I wasn't slacking off. I had to leave work for personal reasons."

"Is that so?" The snake replies with confidence, "Well, Eruka told me that nobody in the female staff saw you return to the staff dormitory yesterday. Word spread that apparently you weren't feeling so well…." She took a step closer towards me, "so where did you go then? Out partying with friends?"

"No," I reply sternly, "I didn't-"

"Oh wait, I almost forgot you don't have any of those! Maybe you went out drinking at a bar and got so wasted you forgot to come home? Is that why you were so-called sick?"

"That wasn't what-"

"Back off Medusa." Kim had stepped into the scene and was hearing exactly what she was saying. "Maka possibly could have went to the hospital or was resting in the hotel. She was sick. You can't go around accusing her of things that you have no evidence of occurring."

It was amazing to see that someone was sticking up for me in front of Medusa, it made me feel protected. However, after Kim's comment, it looked like Medusa's head was going to blow up any second, as if it were an atomic bomb.

"You don't have any proof for what you're saying either, Kim! You're both so…"

"There you are, Maka!" I hear someone call out just as Medusa swoops in for the double kill. I turn my head to see Kid barging out of the penthouse elevator. Kid had made the comment and was smiling at the sight of me, "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Mizune takes in a gasp, "it's Death the Kid!"

Medusa, Eruka, Mizune, and Kim's jaw dropped to the floor.

I approach Kid and stare at him with confusion, "Kid, what're you doing here?" I say to him in a harsh whisper, trying not to be overheard by the others.

"Kid?!" Medusa exclaims with shock, "Maka! Do you know Mr. Death?"

I ignore her comment and turn back to Kid.

"The guys and I have something important to talk to you about. Will you come with me?" He asks.

I was taken back by this, "I'm in the middle of work right now, I can come up to the penthouse after my shift is over."

"Maka, that really wasn't an option. You're gonna have to come with me," he says, "after all," he comes close to my ear and whispers, "you-know-who has requested your presence."

My heart skips a beat. If Soul needed me, nothing good could come out of this situation. The first thing that comes to my head is to try and get away from Soul, which would mean getting as far away as possible from Kid.

But before I had any time to escape, Kid grabs one of my wrists and drags me to the penthouse elevator. He clicks floor 63 while keeping me restrained.

As the elevator door closes behind us, I see Medusa, her minions, and Kim all staring at me in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

He lets go of me once the elevator closes. "My sincerest apologies Maka," he says, "I know you hate being pulled into situations like this, but I knew that you would try to run away if I didn't restrain you, and I absolutely _hate_ running."

We didn't talk to each other the rest of the ride up.

When we arrive at the lounge, I see that Black Star, Spirit, and Stein were seated on the couches. Stein was puffing a cigarette and Black Star had his feet up on the coffee table.

"Welcome back," Spirit says as he taps a spot next to him, "have a seat."

I take a seat next to Stein instead. Spirit crosses his arms. Kid sits down next to Black Star. I wanted to ask where Soul was, but my question was answered before I could even finish thinking it. Soul descended the staircase down to us wearing a casual white shirt and black jacket.

"Where's your lady friend, Soul?" Spirit asks.

Soul huffs, "left."

"Already!? That's a shame, I was going to say hi…"

 _They're talking about the woman Soul was with before,_ I think to myself. To me, it didn't sound like she was anyone important if Soul talked so casually about her. Maybe she wasn't as important as I speculated. I felt bad for the woman, her feelings were probably played with and then broken by Soul, just like a toy.

"Let's get this started," Soul says as he takes a seat next to Black Star.

"So why'd you call us here?" Black Star asks, "Did something happen at the auction that we need to talk about?"

"No," he replies, "it's something a bit more important than that."

Soul trains and fixes his eyes on me. A smile begins to play on his thin lips as he speaks, "I gathered you all here because I decided how I wanted to use this woman."

My nerves begin to overwhelm me. I feel as if the blood has stopped flowing in my body and my lungs have collapsed. I can barely suck in a breath large enough to keep me from suffocating. This is what I've been waiting for and wondering all day. The suspense he left in the air was killing me.

"She is going to be my girlfriend."

There was a dead silence in the room. Now all of the eyes in the room turn to me. At first, I don't comprehend what Soul had just said to us.

Black Star breaks the silence as he begins to snicker, then breaks out into full-out laughter, "you're joking! This has got to be a joke! You're telling me, you want little flat-chest over here to be your- your girlfriend?" He was laughing so hard he could barely say the phrase.

"No, I'm not" Soul says with a smug tone. The way he says it shuts Black Star up right away. Even though they were friends, I could tell Black Star was more than slightly afraid of Soul.

"Maka is going to be my girlfriend," Soul says once more, even more bland than before.

The world seemed to spin around me. Out of all of the things he could've said, this is the thing that I would have least expected.

 _ **I don't know much about Hiro, and I don't recall him ever being mentioned a bunch in the anime, but I looked him up on the Soul Eater Wiki and I'm going to try and base him off what he's like as much as I can, but I'm probably just going to end up changing his character completely.**_


	4. The Announcement

_**Aloha everyone!**_

 _ **I apologize for disappearing off the radar for a good month and a half. My school and my family took a trip to Hawaii for two weeks so access to a computer was out of the question.**_

 _ **I tried to write a longer chapter this time because of the long delay (which I should do all the time), so enjoy!**_

 _ **I don't own any of the characters in Soul Eater**_

My ears must be pulling tricks on me. The words were still ringing in my head. _She is going to be my girlfriend…._

I'm confused by what his intentions were when he said this, and it must be the same for the others. Everyone seems to be in shock after what he said, since there is a long pause before anyone says anything again.

Spirit chuckles slightly and smirks, "I knew you had a thing for the girl, boss."

"I didn't expect you to be so obvious about them," Kid adds, "I hope you don't have any ulterior motives under this."

"Of course he does! This is Soul we're talking about." Black Star crosses his arms and stares at me with disbelief, "there's no way in hell he would date someone like you unless he has something to gain. I mean," he motions an arm towards me, "look at her! She's not even sexy!"

Red, hot fumes we're coming out of my ears at these words. How is it possible for someone to be so rude? I contain my anger and keep my mouth shut. Black Star is ten times more rude than Soul, back talking him would be adding more fuel to the fire.

"That's enough, Black Star," Soul says to him.

Black Star crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, "whatever."

The fact that Soul didn't already have a girlfriend startled me. How could someone so rich and successful not have a girlfriend?

But then a thought comes across my head, "Hang on a second, what about that other girl who came here earlier?"

He looks at me with confusion, "what other girl?" he obliviously replies.

"That girl you took into the penthouse elevator? She seemed interested in you. Aren't you concerned about her feelings?"

"If I dated every girl that was interested in me, I'd have to switch girlfriends three times a day."

I pause, "but you two were alone together, isn't that considered leading her on?"

"She approached me, so I found it only right to entertain her. I only have relationships with women who are important, and that's all."

I keep a straight face, but in my mind I scowl. He said that phrase so casually, like it was an everyday thing for him. _That's terrible…._ I think to myself.

"But exactly what do you mean by me 'being your girlfriend?'" I ask, "What about my job and my regular life? What's going to change?"

Without responding to my question, Soul takes a cell phone out of his pocket and dials a few numbers, placing a call. _Who is he calling?_ I think to myself.

"Hey, it's me. Come to the penthouse lounge immediately. We need to talk about something." Soul closes his phone and takes a seat on the couch next to me.

After waiting for about two minutes in silence, the penthouse elevator door opens. I look over and see Hiro walking out the elevator.

Hiro approaches a few feet from the couch then bows, "I apologize for the delay, Mr. Evans. What is it that you need?" He asks politely.

Hiro and I catch eye contact and his eyes go wide, "Maka?! What're you doing here?"

Soul responds to Hiro's question before giving me a chance to answer, "For the time being I will be using Maka for my personal use. She will have to be excused from work occasionally, so don't make this a problem to anyone."

Hiro gives Soul a questioning look, but nods his head, "of course, sir. I understand."

"Also, I'll be taking her down to the fourth floor to do some shopping today."

"Very well, sir, it will be ready in less than five minutes."

"Excellent, that'll be all Hiro."

Again, Hiro bows his head. Before leaving the room, Hiro gives me a concerned look, then leaves without another word.

 _He looked worried…._ I think to myself, _what was that about?_

Soul gets up from his seat then offers me a hand, "c'mon Maka, we're gonna go do some shopping."

When I take his hand, Soul pulls me up from the sofa harsher than is necessary. He doesn't let go of my hand as he drags me to the elevator, keeping a firm grasp.

Soul let's go of my hand once the elevator door closes and starts to descend. I glance over at him, "why are we going shopping?" I ask.

"Well, you can't go to the I.V.C as my date tonight dressed in a maid's uniform, can you?" I am shocked by his words. _Soul was going to take me as his date to the I.V.C?_

But then again, I am his girlfriend now. It shouldn't come as such of a surprise to me.

The elevator dings when we arrive on the fourth floor. The fourth floor is the shopping center at the hotel. It's filled with small boutiques, shoes, jewelry, books stores, and even small cafés. The floor was completely deserted. The only people there are salespeople. Every single store on the floor had been closed for us.

Souls takes my hand and leads me out of the elevator. He walks towards a dress boutique which appears small from the outside. I had never been inside, so I don't know what it will be like in there.

Before, I had only been able to window shop at this boutique, since the prices of their clothing are far out of my price range, but now I was going to actually be buying a dress from the store. It reminds me of how much things have changed since I've met Soul.

Once we enter the store I see that my judgement of the store size was definitely impaired. The store looks like a very high end warehouse decorated with chandeliers and jewels. It has hundreds of dresses, all of different styles and made of different materials. There's a single salesgirl standing behind the register. Other than her, the store is completely deserted.

"This way," he directs me towards the cash register. When we approach, the lady immediately recognizes his face, "Good afternoon Mr. Evans! How may I be of assistance?"

"We need a dress," he says, "take me to where your Dior, Valentino, and Chanel dresses are."

 _Those are some of the most expensive dress brands in the world!_ I think to myself, _but what else would I expect from him? I didn't think we'd go shopping at Walmart for a dress…_

"Right away, sir," the salesgirl replies with a bow. She leads us to an exclusive section near the back of the store. On the wall was a long line of dresses, hung by brand and color. Soul crosses the dresses and examines them. One after another, he begins pulling out the dresses from the racks.

He turns to me, "you're tiny, I assume you're a size 2?" He asks. I nod my head, "that's about right." He goes back to focusing on the dress selection.

After about fifteen minutes of pulling dresses, he goes up to the salesgirl and hands her his pick of clothing. "Take my guest to a changing room and have her try these on in order," he tells the employee.

"Yes, sir," she replies, "follow me," he tells myself and Soul. She walks away and takes us to the dressing rooms.

When we get there, Soul takes a seat in a chair outside the changing room, "I want you to show me each dress after you put it on." I nod my head and go into the dressing room.

The salesgirl hangs the dresses on a hanger inside the room and leaves without a word to me.

I look at the dresses Soul has chosen and sigh with a huff. He had pulled from the racks at least twenty different dresses. They were all of varying colors, but long in length. I look at some the price tags and my eyes go wide. All the dresses cost at least a thousand dollars. I have never even dared to try on something so expensive in my life.

The first dress was a golden-champagne color made of silk. It has a tight fit on my hips, an open back, and long sleeves. It was very exquisite and elegant.

 _This is beautiful…._ I think in awe.

I exit the dressing room to show Soul, "how's this?" I ask with a twirl and a smile.

He crosses his legs and looks at me with a neutral look. He shakes his head, "this won't due. The dress is too similar to the color of your hair and it makes you look like you're trying too hard. Next." He waves me off with his hand.

Knowing the millionaire, I didn't expect him to like the first dress. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to wear that dress, but I wasn't the one paying, so he has every right to choose which one I wear.

The next one was a black dress that was also tight around my hips. It has a slit on the side that goes all the way up to my mid-thigh. The dress had a rather low cut on both the back and the front with a diamond studded waist. The straps were tiny and had diamonds studded in them as well.

After barely even leaving the dressing room, he automatically shakes his head, "No, no, no. Not curvy enough. Next."

I clench my jaw, _how many times does he need to say I have a flat chest?_ I go back to the fitting room for the next dress without a word.

The third outfit was blue, chiffon dress that was tight on top and then faded to a looser fit. The top portion was sapphire studded and strapless. The bottom part was a dark blue color that was curled at the bottom.

I walk out of the dressing room for the third time and Soul shakes his head just as he did before, "Trashy. Next."

One after another, Soul rejects the dresses again and again with different insults. It was beginning to get frustrating, along with bringing down my confidence, since it seems that we have been at the store for hours upon hours.

It wasn't until the last dress that Soul was satisfied. By the end, he was as frustrated and almost as exhausted as I was. However this disappears when he sees me in the final dress. His eyes go slightly wider and raises an eyebrow ever so slightly when I leave the changing room.

He stands up and smiles, showing off his shark-like teeth, "not bad Maka… Definitely not bad at all."

The outfit I had on is a long, deep burgundy dress that had a black, translucent layer of fabric over the base. The top was tight and had an elaborate design of different black jewels, fading out to a loose-fitting bottom with less designs. The sleeves were also a black sheer fabric and were mid-length. The outfit looked as if Soul's bedroom was carefully designed into a dress.

He walks to me and takes off the price tag carefully to not rip my dress. Again, he smiles as he take another look.

"I'm going to go pay for this, keep the dress on and wait right here. I'll be right back." I catch the slightest glance at the price tag when Soul goes to pay. The dress had cost $5,250 dollars.

 _This dress costs nearly a fifth of what I make in a year…_ I slightly feel guilty that Soul is spending so much money on me, but to him this was probably nothing. He has millions to spare, and he is the one who decided what dress I wear.

Soul returns moments later with a receipt crumpled in his hand. He places it on a nearby table, "let's go."

He drags me by the hand out of the store and walks deeper into the shopping center, away from the elevator.

"We're not done shopping?" I ask in disbelief.

"You can't just go to the I.V.C. and expect to steal the spotlight with only a dress," he replies, "it won't take as long, but we still have to get you accessories." He suddenly jerks us to the right and we enter the next store, Tiffany and Co. Once again, the store was empty (minus the single employee) and was closed down just for the two of us.

A young man, who I assumed to be the jeweler, approaches Soul and I, "Good afternoon Mr. Evans! What can I do for you?"

"Show me your matching jewelry sets, all perfect clarity." The man nods his head and takes us towards the middle of the store where a large rectangular glass case stood. Inside were many different matching sets, each with at least a pair of earrings and a necklace.

Soul studies the jewelry sets for several minutes until pointing out the one that he wants me to try on. The jeweler takes out a necklace, a ring, and a pair of earrings. The set was consistent of rubies, black diamonds, and white diamonds.

Soul takes my right hand and slips the ring on my ring finger delicately. It was a very alluring ring with a large, round-cut black diamond in the center. Around the center piece were rubies studded into the ring. The band of the ring was covered in white diamonds

Next, he puts the necklace around my neck. It had a very elaborate of white diamonds and rubies weaved together. The bottom had small black diamonds dangling from the bottom of the rubies.

I put on the earring and admire the beauty of them. They had a simple yet intriguing design. It consisted of a small red ruby surrounded by black diamonds, delicately hanging down from my ears.

The jeweler brings me a small mirror to see the new jewelry. It was mesmerizing how the colors of the jewelry set were so dark, yet sparkled so brightly. The jewels perfectly contrasted both the whole set and the dress together.

Soul lurks behind me as I admire the new jewels. He seems to like the set as much as I do. With a satisfied smile, he says to the jeweler, "It's perfect, we'll take it."

After paying for the jewels, Soul pulls my hand and leads me out of the store.

"I'm going to take you to a salon," he says without looking at me, "you'll get your hair and makeup done there while I go get ready and buy you shoes."

Before I can reply, he takes a sharp turn into a salon. The boutique is very private, being the smallest store we've visited so far. There are only three chairs in the whole salon and a small chandelier above each one.

The hairdresser approaches the pair of us and waves to Soul, "hello sir!" She says cheerfully, "will you or your guest be needing their hair or makeup done?"

He rests a hand on my shoulder, "Give her some sort of an up-do, but nothing too extravagant, and her make-up should complement the dress. That should do."

"Of course, sir," the hairdresser replies, "It'll be done in an hour."

"Perfect, I'll be back by then," and with that, Soul leaves the small boutique.

The hairdresser pulls me harshly to a chair. Her cheerful mood seems to disappear almost immediately when Soul leaves the salon.

 _So the employees are only nice when Soul is around…_ I think to myself.

She begins to fiddle with my hair right away, taking out my pigtails in the process. She grabs a curling iron and curls my bangs, brushing them to the left side of my face. She pulls my hair back into a high bun, leaving pieces of hair dangling here and there. It was a simple hair style, just as Soul had requested, yet contrasted the dress almost perfectly.

The makeup she put on me matched the dark theme of my dress. The color of my lips were like a red wine, and my eyeshadow a black and brown combination with shimmer. The foundation had no shine to it and was matte, yet my face looked perfectly contoured.

Just as the hairdresser finishes up, Soul enters the salon with a shoe box. He was dressed sharp for the I.V.C., wearing the same black and red pinstripe suit with a red button down shirt and black tie. The outfit he had chosen for me had perfectly matched his, along with my makeup and, in a way, my hairstyle.

The hairdresser's cheerful mood returns, "Hello, Mr. Evans!" she says, "I just finished your lovely guests' hair and makeup."

"Send the payment to my room, my guest and I have somewhere to be."

She bows, "of course, sir."

Soul motions for me to come to him, I stand up and walk towards him. He gives me the shoebox, "put these on and let's go."

I open the box and see a pair of tall black pumps. I never usually walk in heels, but I'd have to adjust for tonight. After stumbling quite a bit, I slip the shoes on and my height increases by a few inches, something I wasn't normally used to.

He takes my arm and walks me towards a full body mirror. When I see my reflection, I look nearly unrecognizable. The whole style of my outfit was completely different than how I would usually dress. I had never looked so nice or beautiful in my entire life. I look stunning, and definitely look ready for the I.V.C.

Before meeting Soul, it would have never came across my mind that I would attend the I.V.C. once. Now I was going to the party for a second time not only as an invited guest, but also as a date to one of the richest men in the world.

The party seemed to be even livelier than the night before. The casino floor was once again filled with famed peoples of all sorts, each with a glass of some sort of drink in hand and gambling away at the nearby poker tables or slot machines. The room was filled with bright, flashing colors as loud music blared in the hall. Many popular guests were being bombarded with reporters and, in some cases, fans.

Once Soul and I stepped out of the elevator into the casino, both fans and reporter eyes shoot to the two of us. Reporters start flashing their cameras and people all over were yelling Soul's name, trying to get his attention. There were so many people, we couldn't even make out way out of the elevator.

Soul, however, did not respond to any of the hollering. Instead, he takes a deep breath and says sternly to the crowd; "I do not wish to be bothered tonight, I'm occupied." He slips an arm around my waist when he says this and walks straight through the crowd, dragging me with him.

The crowd roars in outrage at this. Sounds of complaining and questions were being bombarded at us by reporters. The crowd would not let us through.

"You heard the man!" I look ahead and see Black Star with his arms crossed. The crowd quickly goes from chattering to silence when Black Star talks. They make space for him to walk towards us.

 _They probably know who he his…_ I think to myself, _why else would they suddenly become quiet at the sound of his voice?_

When Black Star reaches us, he turns to the crowd and yells, "If I see any of you bothering Soul or his guest at any point tonight," he puts his hands together in fists, "you'll be hearing it from yours truly. So scram!" The crowd seemed pretty terrified by his threat, so they all walked away quicker than required.

"Thanks Black Star, I owe you one."

Black Star smiles slightly, "it's cool, I never pass up the opportunity to show off how much power I have over others." He turns to me and squints slightly, "you look more suitable than before. Did Soul pick the outfit for you?"

I nod my head, "got my hair and makeup done also."

Black Star didn't even try to act interested in our conversation. He turns to Soul, "We're all set up for tonight, everyone's waiting for us in the suite."

"Then we better get going then," Soul walks us towards a door near the back of the casino. Black Star trails close behind us, as if acting as our body guard.

"Hey, Soul?" I ask, "what should I do at this party? I've never been to something like this before so it's all new to me…"

"Don't worry about that," he tells me, "we're not here for the party tonight. We're here for this."

We stop walking and I see that we have arrived at the back of the room. A tall, slender man stands in front of a small black door. He was dressed identical to the bartenders in the room.

 _Maybe we're going to a private bar?_ But deep down, I had a feeling we weren't going to something that was considered normal.

"Good evening, Mr. Evans, Black Star. What can I get you tonight?" The bartender asks us.

"Bol's Rhapsody," Black Star says blankly.

The bartender smirks, "if you say so. Right this way, please." He opens the small black door and the three of us quickly slip inside. The bartender closes the door behind us.

At first, the room was filled with complete darkness. However, moments later the room is lite with dim red lights. All the walls in the room were completely covered in mirrors, giving an eerie aura. It looked like a fun house, or more like a creepy dressing room.

"Where are we?" I ask.

Soul walks over to a mirror with his hands in his pockets, "The hall of mirrors. It's the room that leads us to the basement or as we like to call it," Soul smirks as he presses a pane of glass on the wall, "The Rabbit's Hole."

The pane of glass slides away, revealing a hidden elevator. Soul, Black Star and I all step into the elevator, the door shuts behind us. There are only three buttons on the wall, one reads _lobby,_ one has a star on it (which I assume to be the floor we are at right now), and one with the face of a rabbit.

Soul presses the button with the rabbit and the elevator goes down.

When the doors open, we arrive in a private theater box. Inside the box were about ten seats, two in which were occupied by Spirit and Death the Kid with drinks in hand. A waiter stood at the side of the box. Beyond the box were hundreds upon hundreds of people, all wearing elaborate masks, seating in an auditorium. On stage was the same auctioneer wearing the same mask and outfit from before. He was auctioning off items to the bidders below.

Black Star, Soul and I all take a front row seat in the private booth. I was sitting next to Soul and Kid. Soul had Black Star on his left, and Kid had Spirit on his right. I was in the middle of the gang. We have a perfect view of the stage, being that our theater box was located directly in the center.

Before sitting down, the waiter approaches Soul and I. "Good evening Mr. Evans. Would you and your guest care for a drink?"

"Two Winston cocktails."

The waiter bows slightly, "right away," he scurries away to a back area to make our drinks.

"Where's Stein?" Soul asks Spirit.

"He had work apparently," he answers, "but it's probably bullshit, he never works. He's probably off at a bar, trying to get people drunk, lure someone in and dissect them. The usual." I shiver at the sound of that. Was it a metaphor for something, or was it possible a detective that enjoys dissecting people existed?

But there was something else bugging me. I was almost entirely sure of my answer, but I wanted to confirm that I was right. I turn to Kid and ask nervously, "We're in the place I was auctioned off at… aren't we?"

He grins, "We're in the world's most famous black market auction hall, The Rabbit's Hole. Hard to believe that only a few nights ago you were up on that stage, huh?"

I huff, "yah, I still don't believe it myself."

Spirit sighs gleefully, "When you were in those chains, you looked so adorable when you were trembling! Almost like a little puppy in a cage."

I roll my eyes, "and wasn't _that_ delightful," I say sarcastically, "but why did you guys bring me here? It's not like I'm going to buy anything"

 _And it isn't like I have the money to anyways…_ I think quietly in the back of my mind.

Kid smiles slightly, "Of course you're not going to buy anything, Soul wanted to teach you the ropes of the auction."

 _He wanted to teach me about the auction? But why?_ I turn to Soul, "is that why you brought me here?"

Soul crosses his arms and shrugs, "Well, if you're gonna be my girlfriend, we're going to be coming here more often together. You're going to have to know the basics if you plan on surviving."

I swallow hard, was the auction that dangerous to be at?

"First off, the only ones allowed to participate in the auction, which means either being allowed to sell or buy items, are those that have either been personally invited by us or have been appointed from a member invited by us."

"You guys are in charge of the auction?!" I ask surprised.

Soul nods his head, "myself, Black Star, Kid, Spirit, and Stein are all the founders of the Rabbit's Hole and its auction. No one comes in or out of this place without our approval."

"Why else would we have a private box in the center of the auditorium?" Spirit says.

"Only those with big cash can really come to this event," Kid says, "a three-day pass here is $100,000 dollars! On top of that, goods up for bid are worth millions of dollars, and people don't hold back when bidding on items."

"No one at the hotel knows about this auction, not even the hotel staff members," Soul adds, "The Rabbit's Hole is at the lowest level at the hotel. It even isn't on the hotel blueprints, so I'd be almost impossible to find without physically being directed here."

"Aren't those waiters and people standing around working here though? They aren't hotel staff?"

Soul shakes his head, "they work at the auction, but they aren't apart of the staff. They're apart of Black Star's mafia."

Black Star grins, "My guys are the best of the best, they'll only listen to me, and occasionally the rest of the guys. You don't want to get on their bad side."

 _I figured that out a while ago…._

"Since no one knows about the auction, that means you can't mention this event to anyone under any circumstances," Soul says sternly, "if you're at gunpoint, take a bullet to the head rather than mention the auction, understand?"

I nod my head vigorously.

"Good, then let's watch this next item be sold," Soul says, "You'll see how we do things around here."

The auctioneer gives a thumbs up to the crowd as they cheers when the next item is brought onto the stage for the bidding. Everyone on the lower levels wore masks, just like the auctioneer.

"Why is it that everyone wears masks?" I ask Soul.

"To conceal their identities," he answers, "just because I invited someone to the auction doesn't mean they're deemed reliable. It's just a safety precaution."

The next item was brought up onto the stage. Two tall men dressed in black suits, similar to Black Star's, placed a rather tall and skinny item covered with a white sheet on the stage. They scurried away once it was on stage.

"And now for our next item up for bid," The auctioneer proclaims, "This one has been donated to us by one of our very own participants here at the Rabbit's Hole. It is one of the most expensive and elegant sculptures in the world, the Walking Man!"

He pulls away the fabric to reveal a tall bronze statue of, as the title states, a walking man. I take in a sharp breath, _this was stolen from the Rodin Museum months ago….. It's the most wanted art item in the world right now._

"Let's start the bidding, shall we? Who will give me 5 million dollars for this wonderful work of art?" The audience goes crazy after hearing this. One by one, cards were flying in the air with different numbers, each higher than the rest.

"I hear 6.2 million from seat number 38... 6.6 million from seat number 19…. 7.3 million from seat number 91…"

The prices kept rising and rising and rising, until the bidding was reduced to merely one person.

"110.4 million from seat number 44! Going once… going twice…." The auctioneer throws his hands in the air, "the Walking Man sculpture sold to seat number 44 for 110.4 million dollars!"

The men dressed in black come back on stage to take the sculpture backstage. They cover the sculpture with the sheet again, then carry it slowly away.

A cold sweat runs down my back, I was seeing the most valuable sculpture in the world being illegally sold away, probably never to be seen again. And I wasn't able to do a thing about it.

The whole auction was so intriguing. Never in my life would I image to be caught in such a strange, secretive atmosphere. Everything in the auction hall coincided with each other, from the mysterious lighting filling the hall to the eerie masks.

All the men in the private booth with me were all unique and abnormal in some way, just like the auction. To me, it was odd yet fascinating.

Many other items were sold after the Walking Man sculpture. Some items included credit card and social security numbers of famous people, hitmen services, passports, and stolen artifacts from museums were all up for grabs. Hundreds of millions of dollars were being bid, especially the museum items.

Halfway through the auction, there was a question that began to bug my mind. I turn to Kid, who was smiling brightly as a sculpture made out of elephant ivory was being auctioned off for $62 million dollars.

"Hey…. Kid?" I ask timidly.

Kid snaps out of his daze, "Yah Maka?"

"I was just wondering," I pause for a moment, "when I was sold at the auction, I was only auctioned off for $20 million dollars. Why was it that the audience and the auctioneer made such a big deal when I was sold off? At first I thought it was because I was sold for such a high amount, but apparently that's not the case seeing such high prices here."

He giggles slightly, "I'd think you'd be able to figure that one out yourself, but if you insist on an answer," he points to all the guests seated in the lower level, "all those people down there know who we are, and we know who they all are. They know that we founded the Rabbit's Hole, with Soul in charge. So what would your reaction be if the owner of the auction makes a purchase, when he himself has never made a purchase before?"

The answer left me stunned. He had really meant what he said earlier about buying me only to save me.

I smile, "thanks Kid."

After about an hour, the auction had come to a close and all the guests were returning to the hotel lobby. The five of us returned back to the lobby through the hidden elevator.

The I.V.C. ended at approximately the same time as the auction. It was unclear which function each of the guests had attended, as everyone was coming from the same place to get back to the hotel lobby. By the entrance to the hotel were all the staff members of the Crimson Cosmo's, including cooks, managers, and maids.

Spirit walks between Soul and I and puts an arm around me, "Well Maka, what did you think of your first big outing?"

Before I can answer, Soul narrows his eyes at Spirit.

Spirit gives Soul a confused glance, "What's up with you?"

"Keep in mind that's my new girlfriend you have your arm around." Soul gives Spirit a look so sharp it was as if he was slicing him straight through the skull with a sword. Spirit bolts away quicker than a hummingbird.

"What's up with you, bud?," Black Star chuckles, "Are those Winston drinks getting to you?"

Soul scuffs, "shut up."

We keep walking on through the crowd of people from the I.V.C. and the auction. My feet are starting to hurt me like crazy. I've never walked in high heels this long in my life, especially shoes this tall. The crazy night was almost over, and I'd only have to push through for a little while longer. We were so close to the penthouse elevator.

However, as we approach the elevator my face goes red. Near the very end of the employee line was Medusa, Mizune, and Eruka, smiling and waving to the passing guests. Standing right next to the elevator was Tsubaki and Kim doing the same as the other employees. I do my best not to make eye contact nor get noticed by the five of them, but I know avoiding Tsubaki and Kim will be inevitable.

"Mr. Evans!" A cold shiver runs down my back. _I know that voice,_ I think to myself, _that's the guy who tried to buy me at the auction._

We turn around to see that Mosquito was approaching us with a drink in his hand. Soul grabs my shoulder and pulls me behind him. Kid comes close to me as well.

Mosquito greets us all with a bow, "it's been a while, hasn't it? What did you think of the show tonight?"

Soul shrugs, "it was quite dull, in my opinion."

"Of course it was, nothing ever seems to please you." Mosquito looks past Soul and look at me dead in the eye. He smacks his lips, "my my, isn't this the lovely lady that we were both competing for the other night?" He tries to approach me, but Black Star puts an arm in front of him before he can.

Mosquito scuffs, "I don't believe I've have the honor of properly meeting her. Will you introduce me to this beautiful woman, Mr. Evans?" Mosquito takes a sip of his drink.

Soul glares at him with hard eyes, "Her name is Maka Albarn. She's my girlfriend."

Mosquito nearly chokes on his drink when he hears that, "she's your…. WHAT?!" He yells the next part so loud he catches the attention of everyone in the lobby.

"You heard me correctly, she's my girlfriend."

Everyone in the room starts to whisper furiously at once. The moment of silence quickly turns into a huge commotion. All of the hotel staff members look stunned at this news, as most of them know who I am. Both the guests from the I.V.C. and the media start to gossip amongst themselves.

Soul slips a hand around my waist, causing more commotion in the room, "C'mon Maka, we have better places to be." At these words, Soul whisks me away to the penthouse elevator, the rest of the guys following directly behind us. I feel all eyes on me as we make our way out of the lobby.

Before entering the elevator however, I catch the slightest glimpse of Tsubaki and the shocked look on her face.

"Maka…." She says with disbelief right as the elevator doors close.

When we return to the penthouse lounge, I plop down on the sofa and take of my shoes, rubbing my feet. I had barely noticed that the rest of the guys were wishing me good night, returning to their rooms.

Soul was the only guy left in the lounge with me. He makes his way to a drawer underneath the television, taking out a key card from it.

He comes over to the sofa and takes a seat next to me. Soul hands me the key, "this is a key card for the penthouse elevator. It won't work without this card, so try not to lose it. I assume you have a cell phone?"

I nod my head, "yah, I left it at my apartment."

Soul takes out a piece of paper and pen from his breast pocket and writes down his number. He gives me the card, "this is my number. I'll be calling you often for things I either need you to do or places you need to be. Unless I tell you otherwise, stay in places where you can get to the penthouse within five minutes."

"Five minutes? That's impossible, I have to work, I have a life outside the hotel-"

He cuts me off, "take a break from work. I already informed your manager Hiro that you are to be excused from work whenever necessary, so there's no need to worry about that. If you want, you can live in the penthouse for the time being, you can use the guest room you stayed in earlier as your bedroom. Do whatever you need to fulfill your duties as my girlfriend." Soul stands up and walks up the staircase, down the hallway to his bedroom, then out of sight.

I'm left speechless for a few moments. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but when he turns his back on me like that I can't bring myself to speak.

The events from today have left me both confused and in wonder. Why was it that he made such a scene to all those people about announcing I'm his girlfriend? He told me to fulfill my duties as his girlfriend, but what exactly did he mean by that? We weren't _actually_ dating, there had to be a loophole as to why he gave the title.

But the thing that left me most confused was what in the world was going to happen next.


	5. The Bargain

_**Got this one done in less than a month! That's a new record for me**_

 _ **Also, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They are what inspire me to release the chapters quicker.**_

The alarm clock in the penthouse's guest room starts blaring into my ear at around 8:00am. Sunshine was gently shining through the window and down onto my face. I would usually love a sunny day like this, but right now all I want is for the curtains to shut so I can fall back asleep in peace.

I bundle myself in the soft and warm covers, not wanting to get out of my bed. "Five more minutes…" I grunt to no one in particular.

I lay in bed partially awake for about half a minute. An alarm blaring in my ear while I try to snooze never stands as a huge motivation for me to get up out of bed and clean a room so I can get paid minimum wage.

Telling the alarm clock to shut up obviously doesn't work, so I slap the alarm and turn it off.

My hand slides off the clock and lands on two objects. I sit up, curious to what they are. Their, a small hand-written note and a cell phone were laying on the night table. I grab the note and study it. It was very similar to the last one I received; written in the same black ink and on the same red note card. It read:

'I did the curtsey of grabbing your necessities from your apartment and setting an alarm for you. Go to work as you usually would and remember not to give any details about last night. -Stay close and in touch'

It seems odd that Soul was acting slightly kinder towards me. Not only did he set an alarm for me, but he also grabbed all the stuff that I would need for work.

 _He probably just needs a favor from me. That it…._ I think to myself, shaking away the fake vibes of kindness, _Soul only does nice things for others if he has something to gain._

I get up out of bed and go to the bathroom to wash up. My feet automatically ache severely when I start walking. I look down and see that my feet have several blisters in between my toes.

 _Never again will I wear such high heels,_ I take note in my head.

After getting ready and dressed in my uniform, I go to the door to leave the guest room. However, right before leaving I stop myself. I go back to the bed and grab my phone sitting on the nightstand.

 _I wouldn't want to see the look on Soul's face if I forgot this in my room, I'd be dead meat_.

With that, I leave the room and head straight to the girl's locker room.

When I approach the door to the locker room, I take in a slow, deep breath. This is the first time I would be seeing my co-workers after Soul announced to everyone I was his girlfriend in the lobby. I don't know how everyone is going to treat me, nor how they reacted to the whole situation.

 _I hope nobody treats me differently, I'd hate for that to happen._

I open the door and see the majority of the maids clustered in a small group near a corner of the locker room. Among them were Tsubaki, Medusa, Mizune, Eruka and others. Medusa and her gang appears to be bickering with the rest of the staff.

No one notices me walk in at first, but once I approach the group everyone stops talking immediately and the conversation comes to a halt.

Before I even can say anything, I am bombarded with questions about yesterday.

"Maka!" Tsubaki exclaims, "What happened last night?!"

"Is it true? Are the rumors true?" a maid asks.

"Did you actually get to go to the I.V.C.?" Another says.

"What was it like? Was it as amazing as the media says?"

"Who did you get to meet? How many times did you kiss Soul?"

"What is Soul like? Is he as charming as he looks?"

After the question spree is over, they all stop and stare at me in silence, waiting for answers.

"Um… Err…." So many questions had been asked at once, I wasn't sure where to start.

Medusa scuffs, "Of course none of the rumors are true! This all must be some big mistake, there's no way you of _anyone_ could be Mr. Evans girlfriend!"

I'm left in silence for a few moments. I didn't want to tell her straight to her face that I was dating him, that would appear as if I'm bragging to her about it. I also couldn't tell them Soul and I weren't _actually_ dating, or else I'd give away the secret of the auction.

Soul's words from last night replay in my head: ' _Since no one knows about the auction, that means you can't mention this event to anyone under any circumstances. If you're at gunpoint, take a bullet to the head rather than mention the auction, understand?'_

I was left as a loss of what to say, but luckily a maid in the crowd breaks the silence before I was required to.

"Are you actually from a super wealthy family?" she asks with wide eyes, "Are you working here to experience normal life or something?"

"That's not it," Tsubaki says, "Maka is working here to get enough money for college with me." But Tsubaki looks at me with concern, "unless your family went through hard times and lost their money? Or they refuse to pay for your college?"

Medusa scowls, "don't be ridiculous, Maka doesn't have a well-bred bone in her body. Tell us how you wound up with Mr. Evans!"

I try to come up with a story, something believable, but nothing comes to mind. Instead, I say probably the stupidest and the cheesiest thing ever possible;

"I-it was love at first sight! We fell in love the moment we laid eyes on each other." I force a smile onto my face, but it looks so fake not even the most gullible person in the world would fall for my act. Everyone in the crowd seemed confused, and of course Medusa sees straight past my attempted deception.

"That's a bunch of bullshit," she sneers at me, "Mr. Evans wouldn't look twice at a girl like you." She crosses her arms and snarls, "If you can't tell us the truth, I bet you used some dirty trick to get him to date you."

"I wouldn't do anything of the sort!" I argue.

She throws her hands in the air, "Then _why_ can't you tell us?!"

Even though Medusa was the one leading the interrogation, it is clear that everyone in the crowd, including Tsubaki, is anxious for an answer. I am completely surrounded by girls who wanted to know why I was dating Soul, yet I can't give them a straight answer.

All of the sudden, I see Kim clapping her hands together, "what are you ladies doing standing around? Get to work! We've got a lot of early check-ins today so we need to stop dilly-dallying and hurry!"

Kim looks past the crowd to me and gives a smile, "Maka, you're cleaning with me today, right?"

I look at her puzzled, _we always clean together, why's she asking this now?_

She walks up and urges me away from the group, "c'mon, let's go."

I don't resist, so we walk away from the rest of the group. Even by not looking at them, I could feel a cold glare coming from Medusa, Eruka, and Mizune. I could hear the murmurs and shuffling of feet behind me, I assume everyone was returning to their places.

Kim and I head out of the locker room and take an elevator up to the guest rooms. During the ride up, a thought crosses my mind.

 _Back in the locker room, was Kim trying to save me?_

We arrive at our floor and go straight to our first guest room. Kim and I begin our job by making two queen-size beds.

I stop making the bed for a second and look at Kim, "thanks for what you said back there. I really appreciate it."

She stops and glances up at me, "Oh, sure! I'll always help you if you need anything." She smiles, then continues with her job.

I wait for questions to be thrown at me like the others had done, but nothing comes.

"…You're not going to ask me why I was at the party?"

Kim shakes her head, "not if you obviously don't want to talk about it." She pauses, "you don't want to talk about it, right?" I nod my head.

"That's what I thought, it's not my style to pry information out of people. I'm unlike a certain snake we both know…" Both of us let out a light hearted giggle.

I always love how Kim is so kind, especially to me. She reminds me of Tsubaki quite a lot, they both are wonderful people and will always have my back. On top of that, they trust me in this whole situation despite the fact that they have no idea what is underlying beneath the surface.

Kim and I finish cleaning the room relatively quickly. Just as I am checking the room over and Kim is setting up the flower arrangements in a glass vase, there's a polite knock at the door.

"Come in," I call out to the person.

The door opens and Hiro walks into the room. Kim nearly tips over the flower vase.

"G-good morning, Mr. Hiro!" Kim nearly blurts out.

 _It's cute how clumsy she becomes at the sight of him…_ I think.

"Morning you two! I just wanted to let you ladies know that the guests checking into this room later today have a small infant with them, so go ahead and bring up a crib and our baby gift set."

He walks over to the conditioning system and turns up the dial from 70 to 73 degrees, "also, you might want to get a humidifier in here too. The air feels rather dry from the air conditioning, and that's probably not good for the child. Can you do that, Kim?"

Dumbstruck, Kim doesn't respond. I clear my throat and nudge her in her side.

Kim wakes up from her daze, "o-of course, sir!"

"Perfect, and while you're getting the humidifier make sure to grab pamphlets on our baby-sitting services for the parents."

Kim smiles brightly, "I'll get straight to it!" And with that, she leaves the room in a dash.

Now, Hiro and I are left in the guest room. He stares at me with neither a smirk nor a frown. It was a neutral face, but rather on the friendlier side.

"I've heard you're the talk of the hotel right now."

My manager was going to confront me on this problem? I didn't even want to talk about the events from last night with my closest friends, it would be even more uncomfortable with Hiro.

"Everyone's talking about you. The staff, the regular guests, the V.I.P. guests. Hell, even _I've_ been talking about you."

Of all the people on the hotel staff, Hiro would've been the least desired person I'd want to know about Soul and I. He was my employer, and with him knowing that I'm the girlfriend of Soul, I feel like he will treat me different from now. He would probably give me special privileges, and that's the last thing that I want at my job.

I brace myself to be questioned, but instead Hiro just gives me a warm smile.

"I saw you in the lobby yesterday. That dress looked phenomenal on you, you looked like you a completely different person."

"Thanks," I say with a gentle smile.

He chuckles slightly, "But I think I like you more the way you are now. It's more natural, and it's more like the real you."

Hiro's compliment makes me feel like he was recognizing the true me and not the way I look, which makes me feel a little happier. He was acting like the complete opposite of Soul, who sees me only as a flat-chested girl he bought at an auction. But Hiro's words take my mind off of those ugly thoughts.

 _He's just as nice as everyone says he is, kind and a gentleman. I can see why Kim likes him so much._

After we both laugh a little, Hiro pauses and clears his throat, "but that's not why I sent Kim away. I need to tell you something important."

However, just as he was about to talk, something inside my uniform pocket starts to vibrate. I reach my hand in the pocket and take out my cell phone to see it ringing.

I open the flip phone and swear in my head; Soul was calling.

I look at Hiro with guilt, knowing that I'd have to take the call and interrupt him rudely. But with consideration, he says, "Go ahead and take the call, it's okay."

I mouth a 'thank you' to Hiro then answer the phone.

"Hello?" I say highly irritated to the phone.

"Come to the penthouse immediately," Soul orders rudely.

I take a deep breath to control my emotions, "Right now isn't the best moment, I'm in the middle of something important," I utter quietly so Hiro can't hear me.

"I don't care, be here in five minutes." He hangs up the phone.

I shove the phone back in my pocket and sigh heavily. "Shit…" I say under my breath.

Hiro looks at me with concern, "is everything alright?"

I turn at him and bow, "please forgive me, but I have to go right now."

"Maka? What's going on?"

"I can't explain, at least not right now. I'm so sorry, but excuse me," I push past him and nearly run out the door, leaving a concerned and puzzled Hiro behind me.

Within four minutes, I manage to sprint to the penthouse elevator and make it to the lounge. In the lounge was Stein, typing intently on a computer and smoking a cigarette. He was sitting in a wheelie chair backwards and seemed to be very focused on what he was doing. He barely even notices the elevator door open and me walk through. It's only when I walk up to him and tap his shoulder that he stops typing.

He slowly lifts his head up then smiles slightly, "hey Maka, what'd yah need?"

"I was wondering if you know where Soul is…. He told me to meet him in the penthouse."

Stein scratches the back of his head, "he probably gave you a time limit too, ten minutes?"

"Five actually…"

He laughs, "Soul never gives you a break, does he? You probably should hurry, he hates it when people are late. Soul's in his room doing who-knows-what. Do you know where that is?"

"I think so, it's near the end of the hall, right?" He nods his head, then goes back to typing on his computer.

I head up the staircase and make my way down the long, twisty hallway once more. Each time I walk down, both the halls and the whole penthouse become less and less scary. I realize that these halls aren't as confusing as they seem, and have less twists and turns than it appears.

Eventually, I reach the end of the hallway and arrive at Soul's bedroom door.

I knock on the door, "It's open," Soul replies calmly.

His bedroom was the only room that still intimidated me. The black chandeliers are lit by the same blue flames and the room's atmosphere matches Soul's dark persona. The view isn't as gorgeous as it was in the night, but the whole city was still clearly seen.

Soul was standing in front of a full-body mirror dressed in a black suit with a black button down shirt. He was adjusting the red tie to his outfit in the mirror and doesn't look at me when I enter.

"You're late," he says.

I ignore the comment, "This better be something important, I was in the middle of a conversation with my manager."

"It is," he stops adjusting his tie and goes to his closet. He opens it and takes out a black dress with a red lace turtle neck. It had a keyhole neckline and a single black and red sleeve that evolved from the turtle neck. It had a very exposed back with red beads that holds the dress together. He hands me it, "Get dressed, we're going to the I.V.C."

"Wait… again?"

"People expect me to be places, this happens to be one of them." He strolls to the balcony, grabs the red curtains and turns to me, "I'll be waiting out here, holler to me when you've finished changing." He closes the curtains leaving me in the dim glow of the chandeliers.

It's strange how Soul always manages to get such perfect dresses that matches his outfit entirely in such a short amount of time. He couldn't have gotten this one custom made, and the other one he found in a small boutique.

I'm relieved that Soul leaves the room for me to get changed. I was almost completely confident that he wouldn't care about my privacy and just stay, instead he had the decency to go wait outside.

But just as I think that, Soul peaks his head through the curtains, "you done yet?" He asks irritated.

I attempt to cover myself up, "No!" I answer in my under clothes, "give me a minute!"

He shrugs and retreats his head.

When I finish getting dressed into the beautiful gown, I go to the mirror to see the new look. Just as before, it fits perfectly and makes me look unrecognizable. I sigh, "Ready."

He enters the room and looks at me. Rather than frowning or showing a smile, his face stays neutral. He puts his hands in his pockets, "Looks cool," he says, "it'll pass for tonight."

 _It seems like he's trying to show no emotion,_ I think, _I wonder why that is?_

Soul walks over to his dresser and opens the top drawer, taking out two boxes. It was a shoe and a jewelry box. He places the shoe box on the bed and takes out the jewelry from the other box.

In his hand he held a long pair of dangly black and white diamond earrings and a large square-cut ruby ring. They once again had the same black, white, and red jewels embedded into the set. I assume there was no necklace because the dress already had a turtle neck.

Soul takes my hand and slips the ring on my right ring finger. I put on the earrings myself, completing the set.

He grabs the shoe box and hands it to me, "put these on."

I open the box to see a pair of black pumps with red lace on them.

I study them curiously, "these shoes…. They have a lower heel on them than yesterday." I glance up at Soul, who looks away from me. I could've sworn he was blushing.

He crosses his arms, "Yeah, so what?"

 _H_ e _noticed that my feet were hurting yesterday…_

"Thank you, the shoes from last night hurt my feet."

He turns his head back to me, "just don't go walking around like a duck again. It was embarrassing."

I roll my eyes, "right." I had to be careful around Soul. He's charming and, I hate to admit it, dashingly handsome. The things he does appears to be kindness at first, but it's just all gain for him in the end.

 _If I'm not cautious, I may end up thinking he's actually a nice person... Or that he actually cares for me._

"Anyways," he says while walking to the mirror to adjust his suit, "tonight I'll be introducing you to someone. He is a very important client of mine and we're in the process of securing an extremely important business deal," he glares at me sharply through the mirror, "so don't do anything stupid."

I put up my hands in defense, "wouldn't dream of it."

He raises the corners of his lips, "that's the spirit."

After making a quick stop to get my hair and makeup done, we head straight to the party. As usual, the casino floor is brimming with celebrities, reporters, and liveliness. As we enter we're once again instantly surrounded by reporters. However, this time Soul doesn't turn any of them away. To each person that approaches us, he introduces me proudly as his girlfriend.

As we chat with various famous politicians and Olympic medalists, an odd feeling comes across me. I felt as if someone was watching me. I look around the room and see occasional envious glances coming from famous women, but none are glaring at me intently.

However, I catch a glimpse of a man near Soul's former groupies who was dressed rather oddly. He wore black pants, a red suit top with black strips, and many white scarves across his neck. He had black hair with white streaks and red eyes, similar to Soul's.

At first, he was glaring at me rather harshly. But when I make eye contact with him, he smiles joyfully.

 _That's odd, I thought he was glaring at me too,_ I shake away the thought, _maybe it was just my imagination?_

Soul nudges me gently at my side as we take a break from mingling with other guests, "stop looking around like that."

"Sorry, it's just…."

"What? Is something wrong?" He asks interested.

I look away from him, "Never mind, it's nothing."

"It's something." There's a slight pause, "maybe you need to take a break from socializing, it might be too much for someone used to it. Go freshen up and get refocused... but be back in five minutes," he adds quickly at the end.

"Thanks?" It was a poor attempt from Soul to be nice, but I take it. I make my way through the big crowd and eventually enter the bathroom where I look in the mirror, exhausted.

A few days ago, I wouldn't even dream of looking at myself in this state, dressed like a queen at the side of her king. If I never had broken that statue, I'd probably be at home right now, reading a good book. But instead here I am here at the I.V.C., acting as the date to Soul.

After a few minutes, I emerge from the bathroom ready to join Soul's side again. On my way back a woman blocks my path. It takes me a few moments, but I recognize her as the gorgeous model with blonde hair who Soul whisked away to his room yesterday

"So how'd you do it?" She asks angry.

I raise an eyebrow, "excuse me?"

"Don't play stupid, how did you sink your claws into Soul? Did you offer him stocks? Land? How much did you pay him?"

I look at her with in disbelief. Is this girl for real?

"Wait a second here, I didn't-"

She cuts me off, "Oh please! A man like Soul wouldn't look twice at a girl like you for nothing! Don't even try to hide it!"

She raises a hand and looks as if she was about to slap me across the face. I flinch, ready to brace the pain, but then the next second a large hand reaches out and grabs her wrist.

The girls eyes turn and go wide, "S-Soul?!" she exclaims.

"What do you think you're doing?" He says to the model both calm and with slight disbelief.

"I-I was just-"

He lets go of her wrist, "just because I spent one night with you doesn't mean you can keep hanging around me."

"But…. I thought you actually cared for me! I put so much money into you, so many investments…"

"Yes, you did, and now I'm not interested," he turns around and starts to walk away, dragging me with him.

The woman storms up to us and grabs Soul's shoulder, "C'mon, Soul! Give me another chance! I'll show you the best time of your life, I'll-"

Soul hits away her hand, "and at this time, I currently am with someone who is far more interesting than you. Let's go, Maka."

I turn around and see that the woman's eyes were welling up with tears. Despite the terrible things she said to me, I felt pity for her.

"You didn't have to say it like that," I tell Soul quietly, "you left her heartbroken. You could've been nicer about the topic."

He stops walking, "If I were to do that, I'd be leading her on. Women can interpret things in the weirdest ways if put in aspects that aren't entirely clear, and I don't want the press thinking that I'm cheating on my new girlfriend."

 _I guess that sort of makes sense, but did he really have to be so blunt to her?_ I think.

"Enough about her, there's someone I want to introduce you to," He links arms with mine and begins walking to a different corner of the casino.

It's strange to see Soul so anxious to see someone. It's the first time I've seen Soul go out of his way to say hello to someone. This is probably someone really important to Soul, and most likely the man he was mentioning earlier.

I am a bit taken back as we approach our desired guest. _That's the guy who was staring at me earlier…._ I think to myself.

He had a stern look painted across his face as he stood at a gambling table. He seems to have all the chips, apparently beating the others by a long shot.

When Soul and I approach the table, Soul gently taps the man on the shoulder. His face is irritated when he first turns around, but once he sees who it is his face immediately softens.

Soul extends a hand to him, "it's nice to see you again, Asura."

An evil grin comes across his face as he shakes Soul's hand. The smile sends chills down my spine.

"Eater! How long has it been? You're looking well."

They release the handshake, "I could say the same to you. I knew you were coming tonight so I made sure that I'd look my best for you."

 _So this is the guy Soul was telling me about earlier?_ I contemplate. Seeing the man up close, I notice the color of his eyes immediately. I was wrong earlier to compare them to Souls. They weren't the same crimson color of his, but rather the color of blood.

He chuckles darkly, "you always aim to impress, don't you?" Asura turns his gaze to me, "is your lady friend here just arm candy tonight? I would think that you'd choose someone more appealing if you're aiming to make others jealous."

"Actually, no," Soul grins viciously, "this is my girlfriend."

For a second, Asura is left in complete shock, eyebrows raised above his forehead. Briefly, his gives me the same harsh stare from before, but then turns the look into a neutral one.

He scratches his chin, "I see…."

Soul urges me forward and slightly nudges me in the back. I bow my head to him, "it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Maka Albarn."

He snarls, "Asura Kishin, but you can call me Mr. Kishin," he says firmly. I swallow hard, _he really seems to hate me, but why?_

Asura crosses his arms, "so you have a girlfriend now. My daughter will be very disappointed."

Soul puts a hand on my lower back, "I thought it was about time to start settling down."

"Yes, quite right. But you will still show my daughter around once she arrives in Death City, won't you?"

He nods, "of course. I'll take her anywhere she'd like to go."

Asura pats Soul lightly on the back, "I'm sure my daughter and I will be very happy and enjoy our time here in Death City under your care."

"Please let me know if you need anything at all," Soul says.

"Of course," Asura glares at Soul and grins like a mad man, "I'll see you around, old pal."

As he turns to leave, he stops directly by my ear and whispers something quietly into it, "I bet you have your hands full dating the richest man in the world, don't you?"

"Pardon?" When I turn to face him, he had already disappeared into the crowd before I could ask what he had meant. But to me, it was apparent that that man hated me with all his heart.

For the rest of the night, Soul and I spent the time at the I.V.C. mingling with others guests about business deals and how Soul and I just became a couple. However, it was hard to keep my thoughts straight. The encounter with Asura wouldn't escape my mind.

Around 1:00am, we return to the penthouse without attending the auction exhausted and practically about to collapse. We go up the stairs and to Soul's living room.

As soon as we get there, Soul and I collapse on the sofa and we both give an uncharacteristic sigh.

"That was exhausting," I say.

"Tell me about it," Soul replies, "but I'm parched, do us a favor and get some water."

In no hurry, I get up from the cozy sofa and take out a bottle of mineral water from the mini fridge in the living room. I grab two glasses, plop back on the couch, pour a glass of water and hand it to Soul.

"Thanks," he chugs the whole glass before I even finish pouring mine.

"So tonight was the reason why you said I was your girlfriend, wasn't it?"

Soul looks at me puzzled, "what makes you say that?"

"Well, it sounds like Asura is a very important client to you, right? He said that his daughter would be disappointed after you told him you had a girlfriend, so I put two and two together."

He grins, "So you can use that head of yours after all." He reaches for the water bottle and pours himself another glass.

"Asura is a part of the Italian mob."

I nearly choke on my drink, "the mob?!"

He takes a sip of water and re-crosses his legs, "Asura has a… _peculiar_ daughter who's fallen in love with me. It's not like I can just turn down the daughter of an Italian mob boss without causing a gang war."

"So you made up the story of having a girlfriend to turn her down peacefully," I confirm. I admire his cleverness, he is a lot more cunning than I thought he was.

"But if you needed a girlfriend, why didn't you ask the woman who was here yesterday?" I ask, "I'm sure she would've been a lot more thrilled than I was."

"It would've been too much of a hassle to deal with someone who has feelings for me, or vice versa."

"And what makes you think I don't have feelings for you?" I say, "Why do you think I'm different from all the other girls at the hotel who practically worship you?"

Soul laughs, "A smart girl like you wouldn't be dumb enough to fall for a shady guy like me. Even if I did like you, I wouldn't get my hopes up that I'd get the same feelings in return."

I was taken back by the comment, _he practically just said that he doesn't deserve me…_

I blush, but then shake away the stupid look I have on my face.

Soul rests his cheek on his hand. He looks at me intently, a cruel smile playing upon his lips, "With you playing as my girlfriend, my deal with Asura will go through smoothly, so make sure you play the part well until that happens." He sits up, "And if you do that, I don't mind setting you free."

I gasp, "W-what?!"

He nods his head, but then looks at me sternly, "however, your performance today as my girlfriend was awful. Your mind was all over the place. If you were with your boyfriend, your complete focus would be on him."

On the couch, he comes closer to me. My heart starts to race, "what're you doing?"

He comes so close to a point where he jumps on me and pins me down by my shoulders on the sofa. I become paralyzed in place. My heart was beating so face I might as well should be running in the Olympics.

"When you're pretending to be my girlfriend, look me in the eyes when you speak to me and I speak to you, stop looking all around."

I don't dare to flinch, but my movements backfire. He says, "And stop freezing up every time I touch you, you seem like you're terrified of me." I try to relax my muscles, but it seems impossible.

My eyes are locked with his, I don't dare break eye contact with him while he's on top of me. For what seems like an eternity, neither of us say anything.

Slowly, he slides a hand to my waist. I feel his weight pushing down against me as his face comes closer and closer to mine. Now, I can feel his soft breath on my face. He puts a cold hand to one of my cheeks.

 _Is he going to kiss me?!_

Panicking, I close my eyes, about to embrace what was going to happen. Just as Soul is millimeters away from my lips, he backs away. His hand leaves my face and sighs, a chuckle escaping his throat, "You know, if you're going to close your eyes, at least make more of an attractive face. You look like a blowfish."

He sits up from the sofa and pulls away from me, "if this makes you nervous you're going to have a rough road ahead of you."

He stands up and makes his way to the door, opening it and making his way out. And with that, he closes the door behind him and retreats away to his bedroom.

I didn't know what to think of what just happened, but at the moment I didn't need to think what it meant. I needed to ensure that his deal with Asura succeeds, because if that happens I might be free from this whole mess. And right now, that's the only glimmer of hope I have.


	6. The Inconvenient

**Betcha all 10 bucks you thought I gave up on this story :)**

 **WELL I'M BACK!**

 **I'm not going to give any excuses as to why I haven't been updating, but I AM going to say it is extremely frustrating when you write a couple of chapters…. then your hard drive fails…. so all your material is gone… and non-retrievable (now I keep all my chapters on google drive!). Along with other stuff in my life, it was not fun to rewrite the chapters and provided as a lack of motivation to continue the story. BUT you guys left reviews! And those were my inspiration to not give up.**

 **Anyways, (if you're still reading this), enjoy the 6th chapter of The Millionaire with the Crimson Eyes.**

 *****IMPORTANT NOTE: if you read this previously, I would highly recommend going back and reading the previous chapters. I made some edits to the story. It didn't change the plot much and isn't** _ **totally**_ **required, but the tone Maka has towards some characters did change a bit. It's completely optional, but recommended.**

 _ ***all edits made July 12th, 2017***_

It was only yesterday that Soul came millimeters away from my lips, millimeters from kissing me, and it was the only thing on my mind.

There should have been a hundred other things on my mind. The IVC was coming to a close, so the cleaning staff and all of the other employees at the Crimson Cosmo's hotel were working day and night to clean up. Guests of all sorts were coming, but mainly going, from the hotel.

Everything seemed to be getting back to normal, but my life was evolving to anything but normal.

The incident from yesterday had left me in a haze, questioning everything about Soul and I's relationship. Of course, it consisted only of hate, anger, and questions from my side, but what left me confused was how he felt about everything, about _me_.

" _If this makes you nervous, you're going to have a rough road ahead of you,"_ he had said to me. But what exactly did that mean?

Everything he had done was for the media and so Asura would know of our relationship. What was tugging at my mind was the fact that all the little things he did last night happened solely in the penthouse, and obviously none of those things would occur in public.

So the only question running through my head was… why?

"Maka!" Medusa calls out, breaking me from my trance, "this is nearly the hundredth time I've called your name!"

I realize that I had completely disregarded the fact I was at work, cleaning the guest rooms. Sadly, Kim was not working with me that day. Since the hotel had so much to be done, I was stuck cleaning a select number of guests rooms on my own. However, I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize Medusa was standing in the doorway, holding a clipboard.

"I'm sorry, I've got a lot going on in my mind right now," I say, half-heartedly and irritated.

"Well, while you are _working_ , those _things_ don't concern me." She struts towards me and forcefully pushes the clipboard into my hands. I look down at the board and see what seems like hundreds of tiny boxes with little blurbs written next to each one.

"There is a group of businessmen staying on floors 9 and 10 that were going to come in later tonight, but it turns out they're going to be arriving sooner than expected. Your job is to go prepare their rooms before they arrive."

"That's not a problem," I reply, "what time will they be arriving?"

"1 pm. It's an early check in. Make sure you get it done by the time they get here."

I stare at her, realizing how cold she is, "it's already noon. You expect me to clean all the rooms on two floors by myself and within an hour?"

She crosses her arm, "well Ms. Albarn, everyone else is busy cleaning up after the IVC," she gives me a death glare with an evil smug, "and since you enjoyed the party so much, you should be working harder than anyone else… so go ahead and take care of it yourself." I could tell she was thoroughly enjoying punishing me.

Out of nowhere, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket.

 _What a relief…_ I think to myself. I grab the phone and see Soul calling me.

 _I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see his name pop up on my cell…._

I answer the call, "Hello?"

"I need you to come up to my room within 5 minutes. We've gotta get ready."

"Get ready? For what?" I hand the clipboard to Medusa and start making my way to the elevator, walking past her, as she scowls.

"Where do you think you're doing?" she blurts out.

With Soul still on the line, I take the phone down from my ear for a moment and turn back to her, "I've got something important to attend to, you're going to have to find someone else to clean those rooms."

"Not under my watch," she marches over to me and shoves the clipboard into my chest, making me nearly drop my cell phone, "you were out partying the last couple of nights while the rest of us were working. You of all people have no right to be dilly-dallying and taking breaks."

"Maka, who is that?" Soul asks through the phone.

I put it up to my ear, "A coworker of mine, she's just-"

"Put me on speaker. I wanna talk to her."

I do as he says, indicating to Medusa to listen in. She sees the caller name as I put the phone on speaker, making her eyes going wide.

"Who is this?" he asks, quite irritated.

"Medusa," she states in a overly formal, proper tone, "VIP maid of the Crimson Cosmo's hotel, highest status there is," she says in a voice making her title sound only worthy for a king.

"With all due respect, Mr. Evans, Maka here is an employee at the hotel. Therefore, she is _obliged_ to work since she took a few days off to spend it with you…sir," she adds at the end.

"Look lady," he says, "I'm not sure if you can put two and two together, but my full name is Soul Eater Evans, emphasis on the last name _Evans._ " After hearing that, Medusa's face turns to the color of printing paper. She seemed terrified.

 _Is she…. Trembling?_ I think to myself. Why in the world would she be so scared talking to him?

"So unless you want to lose your job, I recommend that you let Maka attend to that very important matter, regarding me. Got that?"

She nods her head, unaware that Soul can't see her doing so.

"O-of course, sir." He hangs up the phone right afterwards. Medusa avoids making eye contact with me as she says, "I'll take care of the 9th and 10th floors. You go ahead to… whatever it is you're doing."

With no objection, I make my way out of the room and to the elevator, slightly confused as to what had just happened. On my ride up, I contemplate what Soul had said over the phone to Medusa. Why was it that she was so scared of him over the phone after mentioning his last name? On top of that, how was it that he was able to threaten the loss of her job? Was it because he had a lot of money or influence?

As the elevator door rang and I make my way up to Soul's bedroom, I decide I would ask him about the whole event once I saw him.

However, I wouldn't have time to ask him about anything once I entered his room. He handed me an outfit, told me to get dressed, and we left to the hotel casino straight away.

"There are still guests from the IVC staying here," Soul tells me on the elevator ride down, "there aren't nearly as many reporters or people as before, but it is still a perfect place for us to show off our relationship to Asura. Remember what I told you last night."

My heart skipped a beat when he said that. That night, he had told me if I were to make his business deal with Asura go smoothly, he would let me go.

 _But that was also the night he came close to kissing me…._

The elevator made a little _ding!_ noise as we arrived to the casino floor.

Soul's hand slips around my waist and his cold expression from earlier melts away to reveal a gentle one.

"After you, Maka," he cooes.

Upon entering, we were not mobbed by reporters or fans like before, but rather we just strutted into the casino. It was much less overwhelming, considering the previous nights we were attending the biggest party of the year.

Soul had me wear a short, wine red V-neck dress with a pair of tight black over the knee boots. The boots were rather comfortable, considering they had no heels. He was wearing a simple black suit with a white tie, a much less dressy outfit than the one he wore to the IVC. He didn't even bother buttoning up the suit, yet he still managed to look as sharp as always.

"Just remember to stay alert and keep your eyes on me," Soul whispers to me after getting our chips, "don't have your eyes wandering around like last time. Asura's probably somewhere in the casino, so whether we can see him or not," he smiles pleasantly, "we gotta play it cool."

We walk towards the center of the casino where there was a big wheel, about fifteen feet in diameter and surrounded by flashing lights. Above it is a golden chandelier, along with a small slide where a worker at the casino would place a marble to go on the wheel. Next to the wheel was a table where many people were crowded around.

We approach the table and make a spot for the two of us in front of the table with numbers.

"Do you know how to play Roulette?" Soul asks me.

I shake my head, "no… I don't."

 _I've never betted at a casino in my life, let alone know how to play Roulette. You have to either be filthy rich or be stupid to waste your money at a casino._

He smiles, "Thanks okay, I'll teach you." He leans over and gives me a light kiss on the temple in front of everyone at the table. Despite me knowing he was just pretending, my pulse quickens and my face flushes to a tomato red out of embarrassment.

 _I know we're supposed to be dating, but isn't that a little too much?_ I debate in my head.

Although the people around us were attempting to be secretive, it was quite obvious they were staring and talking soley about us.

"Roulette will be easy for you, especially since you have such a good memory. You'll pick up in no time. It's pretty self-explanatory, so how about you watch me play a round then you place a bet?"

"...s-sure!" I say, giving a false sense of enthusiasm being I wasn't all that excited to be here. I'd much rather be at home, snuggled up in layers and layers of blankets, reading a good book. Instead, I was snuggled up against Soul's side, while he was teaching me the basics of Roulette.

He places a few of his chips on the spot labeled '3' and a few other chips on the '19' spot as all the other gamblers place their chips on other numbers. Once all bets are placed, the man standing at the top of the wheel places a marble in the slide while the wheel begins to spin.

"Number 15!" the man announces as the wheel stops spinning.

With many sighs of disappointments and a few cheers, the worker collects many chips placed on the table, while the lucky few recieves chips in return for making the correct bets in the game.

"So basically if my choice is selected, I win money?" I confirm.

He smiles, "see? It isn't that hard."

He gently grabs my hand and places a few chips in it. With a soft smile and a wink, he looks at me and says, "how about you give it a go? Make yourself a few dollars, will you?"

I go to the table and scan over my options. I decide to go big and place all of my chips on number 35, my lucky number.

 _It's not like he doesn't have money to spare, might as well show him I'm no good at this game,_ I think as I place about 15 chips on the number 35.

After all bets are placed, all gamblers eagerly turn their heads to the Roulette wheel as it is spun and the marble bounces around on the numbers.

 _Gambling is worthless,_ I think to myself, _what's the point of throwing away money like this when you know you're not going to win? It could be used on something so much more important, like-"_

My train of thought is interrupted as the worker announces, "number 35!"

"W-what?"

I am left in a daze as I realize my useless bets had just won me a lot of money.

I turn to Soul, "I actually won?" All of the gamblers begin to give me dirty looks as the dealer hands me the loads of chips I earned from my win.

"I told you," he smirks, "Roulette is easy, maybe you can be my good luck charm from now on, place bets for me here and there." He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him, "the closer you are, the luckier I get," he whispers in my ear, making me stir a bit. His lips brush slightly against my cheek, making me both uncomfortable and causing me to pull away slightly.

 _He's WAY too close…_

"Soul…" I say, quietly, feeling stares so intense they might as well have been pointing lasers in our eyes, "everyone's watching us…."

He always acts so intimate and nice when we're in public, pretending to be a couple. His tone and facial expressions are like night and day when in public versus private. From an outsider's perspective, we would look like an intimate couple, not afraid of showing any public displays of affection. But what they didn't know was it is all an act to make a big business deal go through.

"My dear, Soul, you're such a showoff!" Soul and I turn around to see the Italian mob boss Asura approaching us, hands overflowing with chips. He was wearing an outfit as odd as the day before, a red suit with the white scarf still tightly wrapped around his neck.

"Asura!" He keeps his arm around me as we both approach him, me with my newly-won chips in hand.

"By the looks of it, you've been quite lucky," Soul says, "are you enjoying yourself?"

Asura sighs, "somewhat. It gets boring winning all the time… I was just looking for someone to entertain me, right when I came across you two lovebirds."

Soul chuckles, "well... Maka and I were just getting bored ourselves. How about I tour you around the hotel?"

"That would be delightful," he turns to me, "and you'll be accompanying us as well, won't you, my dear?"

A nervous sweat begins to form down my back. These moments with Asura determine my fate, as well as my safety. Although I am on the side of Soul and the others, it was still extremely nerve-wracking talking to the Italian mob boss, Asura Kishin.  
"Of course I will!" I say with a bit too much enthusiasm, "it would be my pleasure."

"Maka knows the hotel like the back of her hand, she'd be cool with helping us with the tour." We began to walk out of the casino and through the hotel as Soul and Asura continued their small talk. However, my mind was racing with thoughts and questions.

Why was it that we were giving a tour of the hotel to Asura? It would make much more sense to give a tour of the city, or possibly show him around the penthouse, but the entire hotel? Along with that, the conversation with Medusa earlier still continued to bug me. Nothing was adding up, and none of it made any sense to me.

It wasn't until late at night that Soul and I complete the tour with Mr. Kishin. We return to the lounge, completely mentally and physically exhausted. Once we arrive, we see Black Star, Kid, Spirit, and Stein all sitting on the couches with paper scattered everywhere. Soul and I plop down on the couch next to everyone else, drained of energy.

"Welcome back!" Spirit exclaims once we enter the room.

"What's everyone doing here?" I ask, "did something happen?"

"We're reviewing the last auction," Stein responds. "we have to make sure nobody was selling under the table or doing anything without our knowledge. So we're reviewing all the things that were shipped in, sold, profits made... things like that."

Spirit leans in to us, "did you two have a good time? Make any dollars?"

"I guess you could say that," I reply, "I won a couple hundred dollars my first try at-"

"You are seriously useless."

The whole room quiets down, refraining from any side talk, and focuses in on Soul and his frustration. He was massaging his temples as he slouches on the couch, seeming to be at a defeated state. Everyone's somewhat upbeat mood disappears and instantly turns serious, revealing the effect Soul had on the small group.

"Excuse me?" I blurt out, irritated. It totally astounded me how much he could change from nice boyfriend Soul to his cold, rude persona.

He stops massaging his temples and looks at me straight in the eyes, casting a cold and almost angry glare at me. "You totally clammed up when Asura asked us how we met!" He yells, "You almost gave us away!"

Not able to hold my tongue anymore, I stand up and hold firm ground, "well, I'm sorry! It was all so sudden. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I looked to you to tell the story!"

He stands up, "you didn't just _look_ at me for a response, you stuttered and got all nervous!" He takes in a deep breath, cooling himself down. He puts his hands in his pockets and sits back down on the couch, "but if you do that again. He's going to find out we're lying. And if that happens…."

I didn't need him to finish the sentence to know what he was going to say. A million things could happen to not only me, but him as well. If this deal didn't go through or if Asura found out we were lying about our relationship, he would most likely do something irrational.

More importantly, I would be stuck with Soul for who knows how long.

Stein huffs, "you gotta give her some slack, boss. How else do you expect the kid to act in front of a mob boss? It's not like she's an actress or anything."

Soul crosses his arms, "I don't care. What I say goes."

"Asking some normal girl to pretend to be your girlfriend was your first mistake!" Black Star blurts out, "you should have just hired a prostitute or something, that would be more believable."  
I clench my fist, "well it wasn't like he asked me to do this! Against my will, be bought-"

"Do you also remember if I didn't buy you, you'd probably be dead right now?! So shut up and be a bit grateful for once!"

I get ready to yell back at him, but then proces his words. Although I had the right to be mad about these things, I would be in a terrible situation if it wasn't for him. He has the option to let me go free, but 20 million dollars is a lot of money to waste, even for a millionaire. So I cool my temper and keep my mouth shut for once.

He takes in a deep, frustrated breath and turns to Black Star, "Asura would be able to spot a prostitute a mile away," Soul states, "he probably hasn't seen many girls like Maka. If I make him believe she's a normal girl, he won't suspect a thing."

Soul gets up from the couch, making his way up the stairs. But before leaving, he turns to all of us, "I'm exhausted, I'm gonna go crash in my room. I recommend you do the same, Maka." With that, Soul disappeared down the halls to his dark and dreary bedroom.

Spirit stands up from the couch and stretches, "I'm starting to get a bit sleepy. It's getting pretty late, I'm gonna call it a night as well." He approaches me and winks playfully, whispering, "but since Soul isn't here, you wouldn't have to worrying about spending the night with me… if you'd like."

I stand up and make my way up the stairs, "Wouldn't dream of it," I bluntly state without looking at him.

He shrugs, "you're the one missing out."

I say my goodnights to the lot and retreat to my little penthouse prison for the night. But before going to bed, I lay in bed, tossing and turning about the events that had occurred and what was to come. After debating for a bit, I collapse in exhaustion and fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I wake up well rested with the sun shining on my face. It was probably one of the best and relaxed nights of sleep I have had in awhile.

However, my relaxation goes away when I look at the clock and realize what time it was.

 _My shift started 45 minutes ago!_

I jump out of bed, all my time to get ready for the day gone. I quickly rush to the bathroom, throw my hair in pigtails, rapidly brush my teeth, change into my maid's uniform, and bolt down the hallways to the penthouse elevator.

"Where are you in a rush to?" I hear as I pass the living room.

I slow down and peek my head in the living room to see Soul at his usual place, seated at the dining room table typing at his laptop with a coffee in hand. He was still in his pajamas, a simple white shirt with grey joggers and a black headband holding back his untameable white hair.

"Going to work," I say, slightly out of breath, "I'm already 45 minutes late, so-"

He raises an eyebrow at me, "you do realize it's Sunday today, right?"

"What does that mat-" I stop myself out of stupidity, mentally slapping myself across the face and realizing my anxiety was for nothing.

For all the time I've worked at the hotel, Sunday was always the day I looked forward to, because I didn't work on Sundays.

I scratch the back of my head out of embarrassment, "I've had a lot going on… I've been a bit forgetful lately."

"Well, it kinda seems like you're in the need of a break." He places down his coffee and huffs, "I guess you can have the day off, we won't do anything public today or anything involving Asura, so go enjoy yourself."

"Really?" I say with a bit of disbelief, "you're actually letting me have the day off?"

I mentally smile with glee at the thought of being able to do whatever I pleased.

But the pleasure in the moment doesn't last for long as I process it. _There has to be some kind of catch,_ I contemplate, _there has to be some loose strings, or something._

"Do I have to stay in the hotel?" I ask, my happy thoughts slightly disappearing as I say this.

He thinks for a few moments, then cooly replies with, "I'll let you have some freedom today. You're going to need a true break if you're going to do your job correctly…"

I smile, content with the fact that I was able to do whatever I wanted to do for an entire day without worrying about him. But a few moments pass, then his cool stare turns into a serious one, "...but if I call you, you have to be here within 30 minutes. No exceptions."

I stare at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to change the time limit. But his facial expression stays the same, and so does his response.

 _Is he being serious?_

I raise my voice, surprised, "you're actually going to wait 30 minutes for me?"

He stares at me, surprised, "you're actually grateful for having to stay within 30 minutes of the hotel?"

My whole face flushes pink as I realize the truth behind that statement. Soul had just made me realize how much he's got me under his thumb. I couldn't believe myself. At a loss of words to say, I just stand there, waiting for him to say something.

Soul stands up, with hands in pockets, and makes his way out of the room, "I've got things to do, just do whatever you want and don't get yourself into any trouble. Come back tomorrow with a new attitude." He leaves the room and heads down to the lounge.

I stretch my arms up high above my head and look out the window in the living room.

 _It's such a beautiful day, and I get to spend it outside of the hotel!_ I go over to the window near the dining table and open it, inhaling some fresh air while admiring the sounds of the busy city. I close the window and notice the glass reflection.

On the table, I notice an empty pitcher of milk along with a dish of sugar packets beside Soul's empty cup of coffee. There were two empty packets of sugar.

 _That's strange,_ I think to myself, _two empty packets of sugar and an empty pitcher. I wouldn't have expected Soul to like such sweet coffee. He seems like someone who would like black coffee or prefer espresso…._

I shake away the thought immediately in my head. I didn't want to waste my day off thinking of him, so I toss the thought aside and make my way out of the hotel, wondering what I could do to make the most out of my day.

I spend the day wandering around Death City, browsing around the stores and small boutiques, admiring the cute articles of clothing displayed in the windows. Although none of the items were nearly as expensive or as high of quality as when I shopped with Soul, they were still all unique and beautiful in some way.

However, the store that I looked forward to visiting the most was the book store. Being that I finish books so fast, I always make it a habit to stop in in order to buy a new book, along with donating the one I had just finished. I drop in, grab the first book I see on the shelf, purchase it, and continue to explore the streets.

After I continue to stroll the city for about an hour, I was lucky to stumble upon my favorite café, _Aloha!_. It was a small, Hawaiian café that usually has a line winding out the door, but I was lucky to come across the restaurant when lunch hour was over.

 _Since nobody is here, I might as well grab a bite to eat for lunch,_ I think to myself.

I open the door and walk into the café where a hostess greets me. She gladly guides me to a table and offers for me to take a seat. My table sat right next to the window with a marvelous view of the people walking around in Death City.

A waiter approaches my table with a cheerful attitude, "afternoon, miss," he says with a fluttery voice, "can I get you something to drink?"

I smile, "Just a hot tea, thank you."

He nods then wanders away. It was good to know that some people in this disgraced city would actually act nice out of the goodness of their heart, versus just to those with millions of dollars.

The atmosphere in the café was very relaxing. With the soft lighting and carmel colored walls, the mood of the establishment was both Hawaiian and similar to that of a coffee house. All of the tables and chairs were made of bamboo, with the lights that hung over each table having the same makeup. There are paintings on the walls with Japanese characters portrayed in artistic manners, each painting with positive messages. Along with that, surfboards were hung high above on the wall.

Sitting at the café was one thing I had been looking forward to all day, but what I had truly been looking forward to was reading. I pull out the book that I had bought at the store earlier in the day and admire the book's cover. The title of the book, _GULLIVER'S TRAVELS,_ was printed in big, bold letters, along with an image drawn beneath. The image consisted of a man voyaging on a ship across the sea, while what seemed like a bunch of little people were crowded around on a small island the voyager was heading towards.

Right as I am about to open up to the first chapter of the book and read the first couple sentences, I am interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Maka! What are you doing outside the hotel?" I look up from my book to see a man wearing thick sunglasses, a large hat, and an oversized coat standing in front of my table.

I look up at him, trying to recognize his face. "I'm sorry," I inform him, "but I don't know who you are. Maybe you have me confused with someone else?"

"Oh, that's right," the man lowers his sunglasses ever so slightly to reveal glowing, yellow eyes. After studying them for a few seconds, I realize who it was.

"Sorry, Kid!" I blurt out, "I didn't realize at first that it was-"

He quickly hushes me by waving his hands at my face, "shhhh!" He pulls up a chair and sits across the small, round table, leaning in close to me, "I wear a disguise so nobody can recognize me in public, yelling out my name would defeat the purpose of the whole trench-coat thing. This outfit is dreadful… I've added my own touches, but there's only so much you can do to make a baggy coat like this perfect."

Chuckling, I reply, "I would have to agree with that, that outfit is pretty ugly. I almost forgot that you're a pretty famous model, you probably get pestered all the time if you don't wear a disguise."

 _I used to be one of those people…._ I recall, _pestering Kid about being famous._ I remember how the first time I met Kid, I called him by his full name for quite some time. I was so nervous being in his presence since I was talking to a celebrity. Now, those things seem so silly to me.

The waiter from earlier returns with my hot tea. After placing it on the table, he turns to Kid, "do you want anything to drink, sir?"

Kid quickly puts a menu up to his face and replies in a deeper than normal voice, "just a water, thank you."

The waiter goes off and Kid puts the menu down.  
"What are you doing out here anyways, Maka? Does Soul know you're here?"

"He let me have the day off. Since I don't have work today I decided to get out of the hotel and explore the city. I bought a book at the bookstore and wanted to order my favorite meal here. I was probably going to go home and read afterwards."

"That sounds like fun. I have a photoshoot later today so I was going to enjoy my favorite pastime around town before having to work later." Kid picks up the menu, barely glancing at it, before looking up back at me, "what's your favorite meal here?"

"Easily the pineapple grilled pork chops."

The waiter returns with Kid's water and asks us what we'd like to eat. Kid orders the same as me, the pineapples grilled pork chops. The waiter takes our orders then leaves.

"So Kid, what _is_ your favorite pastime?" I ask him, "you mentioned you liked doing something around town."

"But of course," he reaches into his oversized coat pocket and takes out a tape measure, "allow me to demonstrate." Kid stands up and makes his way around the table. I look at him, confused. _What's he doing?_

He takes out my hair ties, undoing my pigtails, and starts to measure my forehead. He pulls out a comb and begins to adjust the part in my hair, along with combing my bangs.

"Um… Kid? What're you doing?"

No response. He just continues to fiddle with my hair.

 _This is…. Weird,_ I think to myself.

He slowly puts my hair back into pigtails with complete silence, making the experience a bit awkward. To Kid, however, he seemed very focused on what he was doing. After about fifteen minutes, he goes back to his seat.

"Your hairstyle has simply bothered me since the auction, it didn't suit my taste. I'm relieved that I was able to fix it."

I look at him, both weirded out and confused.

"So… you like doing peoples hair?"

"Of course not," He takes out a small mirror from his coat and hands it to me, "just look at your hairstyle! The perfection! The symmetry! The grace and elegance in your new look! Isn't it just beautiful?" A bright smile was plastered on his face. You could see the bright sparkles in his eyes, even through the thick sunglasses.

I look into the small mirror and don't see any differences in my hairstyle right away. After a few moments, I realize what Kid had done to my hair. He had measured my forehead precisely so my pigtails were completely aligned to each other, along with splitting my hair directly down the center.

"So you like making people's hairstyles... even?"

"Not just hair… everything! This city must be in perfect balance, not just the hairstyles of those in it. It is my duty to travel around the city and to fix those things that are asymmetrical…. Just the thought of imperfections disgusts me. That is why this coat must never be associated with me. It is inconsistent… diabolical… and should be regarded as scum."

I was left in a daze. What he was saying was crazy and was a side of him that I had never seen before. Completely at a loss of words, I just continued to listen to him rant about his obsession with perfection.

The waiter returns to our table holding our meals and places them in front of us. I was so relieved as Kid stopped talking for a few moments when the food arrived. The food looked so delicious, especially since I was so hungry, making my mouth water.

Right before I take my first bite, Kid reaches out his hands and exclaims, "wait, Maka!" I stop myself and stare at him.

He was measuring out the length of the pork chops and pineapple on both of our plates with his tape measure. "Before cutting your food, you must make sure that each piece is cut _exactly_ the same size. How else do you expect to enjoy a meal if it isn't perfect?"

"I think I can enjoy a meal without cutting it the same size, Kid." I say, a bit annoyed.

"I must beg to differ," he says, "but if you wish to not fully enjoy your meal, that alone is your choice. Let's see…. If this pork chop is 8 inches in length and… 4 inches wide… I can fully enjoy the pineapple grilled pork chops if I cut each piece 2 inches wide and long!"

I stare at him, eyebrow twitching and mouth slightly open.

 _This guy… is seriously weird._

While Kid is carefully measuring out each piece and cutting accordingly, I begin eating my meal. It was as tasty as I remember, with the sugary pineapple glaze perfectly contrasting the taste of the pork chops. It was the best meal I have had in a long time.

As Kid was cutting his meal, a waitress accidentally bumped into the table, making Kid slightly slice his meat in a not-so-perfect line.

I could have sworn at that exact moment, Kid had a heart attack.

He dropped his fork and knife and stared at his plate for more than a few seconds in silence. I stared at him, "Kid, are you okay?"

"...disgusting." He quietly mutters to himself.

"What did you say?" I ask him, not quite hearing him.

"Absolutely disgusting!" He shoves his plate off the table, breaking it, and slams his head on the table, along with slamming his fists. Tears were streaming down his face.

"I'm an abomination! Damnit, I should have been more careful! I don't deserve to live! Just kill me already!" He was starting to make a scene, other tables giving us looks.

I stand up and rush towards Kid, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "now there's no need to overreact," I say in quiet voice, trying to calm him down, "It's just.. Pork chops… It's not a big deal."

"But it is!" He practically screams, "How could I let a wonderful meal like this one go to waste?! Inconsistent… asymmetrical…. Dirty…. how am I supposed to become the perfect model if I can't even cut a piece of meat properly? It looked so wonderful, but now the delicacy is garbage, complete garbage!"

 _He's so dramatic…._ I think to myself, _is he always like this? Or have I just never noticed?_

As I continue to attempt to calm Kid down, the waitress approaches, sincerely apologizing over and over. Then, my cell phone rings. I take out my cell and see that Soul was calling me. I take a break from the comforting and pick up the call.

"Now isn't the best time, Soul. I'm dealing with something right now." I say to him on the phone.

"Why? What's going on?"

"I ran into Kid and we were having lunch at a café, but now he's having a panic attack over him cutting his meat the wrong way."

"He gets those panic attacks pretty often over stupid things like that. Give him an hour and he'll be fine."

"An hour?!"

"Don't worry about it, he knows how to deal with these."

"He doesn't look like he knows how to deal with it," I glance over at Kid, who wasn't degrading himself anymore or slamming his fists, but rather just crying silently with his head on the table.

"He'll be fine. What you need to worry about is getting to the penthouse as quick as you can. It's important."

I sigh, "alright, I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up the phone and put it back in my pocket.

Not sure if Kid would remember to pay for his meal, I take the check and go to the front desk to pay. The lady there decided to give us the meal for free, thinking that Kid had not liked the meal or got food poisoning of some sort. Instead of explaining the situation to the waitress, I simply accepted the gesture.

I go to Kid to say my goodbyes, but, to no surprise, he was still occupied by his worries. He hadn't moved from the table, head still down, and was still sulking about the stupid meal.

 _There's not much I can do now…._ With that, I left Kid to his sulking and dashed out the café. I glance at the clock, reminding me I had to be back within a half hour. Since I didn't own a car, I had walked to the city, and now I was running back to the penthouse since I had spent so much time dealing with Kid after Soul called.

Right in time and out of breath, I make it back to the penthouse. Black Star and Soul were seated on the couch with the television turned on to the news while Stein sat at a table, smoking a cigarette and typing at his computer. As I enter the room, Stein says, without looking up from his computer, "29 minutes… you just barely made it."

"Does it really matter if I'm here exactly within thirty minutes? Is timing me really necessary?"

"Well it works, because it got you here on time." Soul says, "Anyways, come take a seat."

I do so, taking a seat next to Soul. "So, what did you want?" I ask.

"I want you to take the day off tomorrow. Asura's daughter is arriving tomorrow morning, and you and I are going to show her around Death City."

He turns his head to the television, "as you can see, it's a pretty big deal that she's arriving. She basically a celebrity in Italy."

Looking at the television, I see that the news station was discussing how she was arriving tomorrow in town, along with displaying pictures of her face. The title of the segment was: _CELEBRITY BLAIR KISHIN TO BE ARRIVING IN DEATH CITY TOMORROW._

She was beautiful. The girl named Blair was tall, had wonderful assets, beautiful purple hair, and a charming smile. Her outfit was stunning, making me more bewildered as to why Soul wasn't interested in her.

 _I thought Soul was a shallow person since he constantly hangs out with beautiful women… so why not her?_

I turn to Soul, waiting for him to tell me to do something, but he says nothing. I grit my teeth, "all right, is that all you wanted?" I ask, a bit irritated.

"Yeah, that's it."

We sit in silence for a few moments, anger rising up within me. It irritated me that it was completely unnecessary to call me all the way here just for that. My eyebrow was slightly twitching, which Soul took notice of.

"You look like you've got something to say, what's up?"

I fold my arms and glare at him, "couldn't you have told me this over the phone? Or maybe when I got back to the hotel?"

He shrugs, and replies in a calm and collected tone, "I wanted to tell you now. Is that a problem?"

"It's not exactly a problem, but…" I stop and collect my words, careful of what I'm about to say, "but I wish you'd be more practical and consider my situation a bit more…"

"Who do you think you're talking to? Did your little day outside give your small brain amnesia?" His calm and collected tone melted away quicker than ice in boiling water. He was clearly irritated and frightening. He scowls and stares directly into my eyes, "no matter where you go, even if you have the day off, I bought you. Therefore, you still belong to me. Don't forget that."

He leans back into his chair and shoves his hands in his pockets, slouching in the couch. He huffs, "Black Star, I want you to come with us tomorrow."

"What? Why do I have to come?! I could be doing ten times better things than a stupid tour."

Soul stands up, "Blair's the daughter of an Italian mob boss. No harm in meeting her, right?"

Black Star crosses his arms and huffs like a child, "Fine then. I guess I'll tag along."

Soul stands up and makes his way toward the stairs, "if anyone needs me, I'll be in my room." But before he was able to escape, I remembered all the questions that had been bugging me the past two days. I rush up the stairs, stopping Soul before he can go any further.

"Wait, Soul!" I catch up to him and he turns around. "There's something that has been bugging me."

He tunes into what I'm about to say, "I'm listening."

"Yesterday," I say, "when you talked on the phone with Medusa, she seemed terrified of you after you mentioned your last name. You also threatened her losing her job, which I guess you could do if you complained about her to the manager. We also gave a tour of the hotel to Asura, which I couldn't figure out why we would do that. You were able to close down an entire floor all to yourself, and can host an illegal auction in a basement of a hotel without getting caught? Can you explain any of this to me?"

Soul just stared at me, completely dumbfounded. He goggled at me as if I were speaking gibberish, "you mean, you don't know?"

I raise an eyebrow at him "...don't know what?"

He continues to gaze at me with complete shock. Then, he laughs in disbelief, "you actually don't know!" He slips his hands in his pocket and leans on the staircase railing, "There's a company called the Evans Group that opens and manages big establishments, owned by my family. Currently, none of my family members are able to run it, making me the head of the company. One of the Evan's Group most successful establishments is the place we are in right now."

I gasp, realizing the truth behind those words. _How was it that I didn't know this before?!_

He crosses his arms and smirked, "I own the Crimson Cosmo's hotel."

 _ **That's the end of the chapter! I really hope you liked it…. I sure loved writing that Death the kid scene. The reviews you guys left made me want to continue writing chapters. So keep reviewing! I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'll go as quickly as I can.**_

 _ **I promise you, I won't abandon this story. It's too much fun to write!**_


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